Super Strat Creator and Builder Wayne Charvel's Home and Workshop Destroyed in the Camp Fire

The remains of Charvel's
home and workshop

A number of reports are in the new regarding the Camp Fire tragedy that has affected so many people, but in particular well known luthier Wayne Charvel.  Charvel's home and work shop were completely decimated by the fire.

Wayne and his some Michael shared a business building guitars in Wayne's home workshop.

Michael Charvel says his own home was also destroyed in the fire, as were the homes of his brother, sister, and his uncle.

The remains of Wayne Charvel's
home and workshop

In the online Popular Mechanics article, Michael describes the chaos and fear that he faced when he realized that he could have been killed by the fire if he stayed at his home.


Thankfully the family is well connected to those in charge of the town of Paradise, since Wayne's son-in-law is their fire chief,  All made it out alive, and are staying with friends and kind people..

After all people were evacuated, Charvel's residence and workshop were checked by the fire chief, and they were told everything was destroyed. This included all the templates, jigs, custom routing bits, vintage tools, and vintage 1940's Bridgeport milling machine. Wayne built many of his own tools that he will not be able to replace.

Michael says he is grateful that he and all of his family made it out alive.

Wayne Charvel

For anyone unfamiliar with Wayne Charvel, he is a legend in the guitar industry building guitars for  Eddie Van Halen, ZZ Top, and Deep Purple. In fact he list of performers he has built custom guitars for is far too numerous to list here.

Vintage Charvel

Wayne Charvel is ostensibly the inventor of the super-strat. His guitars fueled the needs of many of the 1980's and '90's rock and metal bands.

Les Paul and Wayne Charvel

Wayne began working for Fender Guitars in the mid 1960's doing refinishing work and refurbishing out-of-warranty guitars. In 1974, while he was still working for Fender, he opened Charvel Guitar repair to do custom work.

Charvel at a NAMM show

In fact Fender sent him his first client, the bass player, Roger Glover, and guitar player, Tommy Bolin, pf Deep Purple.  Word of mouth reached the manager for The Who, and Wayne Charvel built a clear plastic bass for John Entwhistle.

Boogie Bodies

He taught his friend Lynn Ellsworth how to cut guitar bodies. Later Ellsworth started a business called Boogie Body Guitars. Charvel began advertising in Guitar Player Magazine.

At first he used unfinished Schecter, and Boogie bodies and necks for his guitars.

Charvel later built his own pin routers and built his own bodies and necks.

Charvel and a
young Billy Gibbons

He also built his own parts to fit Fender and Gibson guitars. Charvel also created custom guitars for Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Topp.

Eddie Van Halen asked him if he could stop DiMarzio pickups from squealing. He did this by soaking them in hot wax. He advertised this service in guitar publications. No other company was doing "pickup potting" at the time.

EVH Charvel

Wayne Charvel also worked on Eddie Van Halen's main guitar, and built him another one that was black with yellow stripes.

Grover Jackson

Wayne Charvel teamed up with Grover Jackson for a while, and eventually sold the business to him.  Many Charvel and Charvette guitars were made in Asia during these years.


In 2002 the Fender Musical Instrument Company purchased the Charvel brand name. They sold Eddie Van Halen "EVH" guitars for a few years.

Michael Charvel

Most recently Wayne teamed up with his son Michael to build high end solid body electric guitars under the Wayne brand.  They are using "old school" technology, hand manufacturing each Wayne guitar one at a time.

Charvel's pin router

Michael says that CNC machines are great for large companies building many similar instruments, but since Wayne guitars are hand made, they still rely on a pin router.

Wayne working on a guitar

The father and son have been in business until this tragic fire destroyed their shop.   Michael says that they will move forward and eventually be up and running again.

If anyone would like to donate to the Charvel family in their time of need, you can contribute to their GoFundMe page or send money via PayPal at charvels@sbcglobal.net.

Click on the links under the pictures for sources. Click on the links in the text for more information.
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