Ok, USA Charvel SoCal... yay or nay?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Random Hero
  • Start date Start date
Random Hero

Random Hero

Active member
I've actually been offered one of these in a trade for a Tokai that I was looking to offload (gonna replace it with a 'real' Les Paul in a few months) and despite not usually being a fan of Floyds, I'm strangely tempted because of the H-H setup, jumbo frets, 12-16" radius etc. Basically as a total rock machine.

How are they? I'm pretty sure they're popular around these parts right? What is the finish on the neck/fingerboard?
 
Love mine. Took it out to GC yesterday to try out the JVM210 and 6505+. Great sounding and playing guitar.
 
yes. Had to set up mine (neck adjustment) but other than that it's been a go-to instrument for heavy stuff
 
I think I want one too. The necks seem pretty comfy, but I've only played one for a brief minute or so. They are said to stay in tune forever and have comfy necks that are really easy to play.
 
Awesome guitars. They don't do Les Paul, but WHO CARES?!?! They're CHARVELS!!!
 
I love mine but I did swap out the Tone Zone for a JB.
 
I love my Pagan Gold SoCal...stock pickups and all! \m/
 
good guitar didnt cut through very well on the ones I had:(
 
The necks on those guitars are to die for!! Super smooth buttery feel, slim but not overly thin. I'm sure you'd love it!
 
I had a pagan gold strat that was awesome. It's definitely one i regret getting rid of. So, yay for sure.
 
FWIW..I like my MIJ White San Dimas ProMod just as much....the more I play the neck, the better it's wearing in....and the USA San Dimas..all great guitars, can't say enough good about these Charvels.
 
I own 1 red, 1 white, and a purple So Cal.
Also a baby blue San Dimas W/JBs that i put a black so cal pickguard on.
All USA made. Awesome guitars with amazing necks.
I'm gonna put a Super Distortion on my white So Cal for the Adrian Smith vibe.
The red USA So Cal i just got from Sam Ash on Monday for $680 out the door!!
 
another convert here. I have owned 3 so cals, and had extensive playing time with 2 san dimas, and they were all killer guitars. I have a candy blue and white so cal right now, both fitted with BK holydivers, and they have become my main axes. They aren't priced where I'm afraid to get a mark on them, and the necks are super addictive. With the right pickups, they scream too. I liked the stock Dimarzio TZ and Evo, but the BK's take it to a new level IMO. I think the US models might have a bit better hardware, as I preferred the switch and pot on my US model, but I actually prefer the feel of the MIJ necks. They seem pretty consistent with the US models as far as sound quality, but it just feels like they took a little more care with the fretwork and finish on the MIJ. Both are great guitars though, really hard to beat the big bang for the buck unless you can't deal with a floyd. I've owned guitars that cost 3x as much that weren't as fun to play.
 
Definite yay. I owned 6 of the USA pro mods (2 SD1s, an SD2 and 3 SoCals), but got away from using Floyds. Great quality bang for the buck (especially the used prices) and as stated above, the necks are simply killer.
 
They're definitely cool. I had a San Dimas about eight months ago and it was a really nice, solidly built superstrat. They use great parts right out of the gate and are very well constructed. The nice thing about a SoCal is that you can swap out the pickguard and get whatever pickup combination you want in there. I myself would opt for an H-S pickup combo with a volume control and a 3-way blade style selector switch.

In short: Yay. Barring higher end superstrats like Suhr, Anderson or EBMM, the Production Model Charvels are some of the most killer superstrats out there in my experience. I ultimately sold mine because I wanted to fund a custom Suhr build... but the temptation is there to get another one down the line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top