Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Charley Custom Stratocaster

This guitar was made in 1984 by Charley Wirz – the owner of Charley’s Guitar Shop in Dallas.

I saw it being built. Charley had made one for Jimmie, and he was like a proud father! They were both being built, and I think they were DiMarzio parts. Larry DiMarzio was the first guy to start making bodies and necks and pickups in that era. I think Charley told me they were mostly DiMarzio parts, but Van Zandt pickups. It was really like a Frankenstein or parts guitar.

Mark Pollock, Stevie Ray Vaughan Day By Day, Night After Night His Final Years, 1983-1990

Specs, Usage

Stevie’s Charley Stratocaster has a white Strat-style body with a rosewood neck, two controls (volume and tone), and three Danelectro lipstick pickups. On the back of the body is a hula girl sticker and the neckplate has the words “To Stevie Ray Vaughan, more in ’84” engraved on it.

Stevie played this guitar on “Life Without You” (which was Stevie’s tribute to Charley after his passing in 1985), and live on the “Live at Montreaux” video.

Replicas

In 2003, Charley’s Guitar Shop and Rene Martinez made 23 limited edition replicas of this guitar, selling for $2500. Fender also produced a model based on this guitar, which you can read more about here – The Super Rare Fender “Charley” Lipstick Stratocaster in the Style of SRV.