So did Charvel drop the ball

[guitarslinger]

I don't get it.

Is polished black and white the trademark look of somebody famous?

I'm being serious.

 

[Badronald]

I was told by a dealer that Charvel sold waaaay more So Cal's than San Dimas'.

Less 80's looking and more familiar to a Stratocaster with the pickguard.

 

[Chubtone]

So did Charvel drop the ball by not making production series guitars in polished white and black with single humbucker and maple necks? Rosewood necks? ...or are they going to release them "next" as a special run?

They took a poll on the 2 large Charvel forums searching for most desirable specs. Two hum won out by a large amount. Maple board won out by a huge amount. Locking trem won out by a large amount. Personally I love the look of single hum Charvels and I still have one, but I spend so much time trying to flick a pickup switch that isn't there because I'm so used to having a neck pickup now.

I don't think they dropped any ball though. Every single model they have made is sold out at the factory. They could have made twice as many of the polar white So Cal's and San Dimas 1 but that was never the plan. It was just semi-limited runs of each and when they're gone that was it.

 

[Gainfreak]

I was told by a dealer that Charvel sold waaaay more So Cal's than San Dimas'.

Less 80's looking and more familiar to a Stratocaster with the pickguard.

And they are highly customizable compared to the San dimas. You can always make them a h/s/h config or you can even drop it down to one pickup if you wanted to. I have two and will be buying more

 

[Badronald]

I was told by a dealer that Charvel sold waaaay more So Cal's than San Dimas'.

Less 80's looking and more familiar to a Stratocaster with the pickguard.

And they are highly customizable compared to the San dimas. You can always make them a h/s/h config or you can even drop it down to one pickup if you wanted to. I have two and will be buying more

Yup. I was told by the dealer that there is a single coil route in the middle as well. I haven't opened mine.

I looked at the San Dimas models on the wall and they looked way to 80's for me. It's just my opinion.

 

[Chubtone]

I don't get it.

Is polished black and white the trademark look of somebody famous?

I'm being serious.

They did black for two years straight. They did a white So Cal and a white San Dimas 1. They sold out almost immediately. They just didn't build them with one humbucker because of the poll I talked about above.

On this forum Dave is saying they dropped the ball by not building one with one hum. On the Jackson forum, guys are saying they dropped the ball because they didn't do H-S-S or didn't do a hard tail, or didn't do a vintage brass trem, or didn't do a pointy head, or didn't do a dinky body or 24 frets or a recessed tremolo. I swear I've seen every single one of those normally followed by the line "they would have sold tons of these".

Dave and barzini are right though, the single hum was the popular config in the early 80's and that is the classic setup.

 

[guitarslinger]

Thanks for helping me out.

FWIW, I prefer:

maple Board
pickguard
HH pups
wild finish like the tangerine or the purple

 

[Badronald]

I don't get it.

Is polished black and white the trademark look of somebody famous?

I'm being serious.

They did black for two years straight. They did a white So Cal and a white San Dimas 1. They sold out almost immediately. They just didn't build them with one humbucker because of the poll I talked about above.

On this forum Dave is saying they dropped the ball by not building one with one hum. On the Jackson forum, guys are saying they dropped the ball because they didn't do H-S-S or didn't do a hard tail, or didn't do a vintage brass trem, or didn't do a pointy head, or didn't do a dinky body or 24 frets or a recessed tremolo. I swear I've seen every single one of those normally followed by the line "they would have sold tons of these".

Dave and barzini are right though, the single hum was the popular config in the early 80's and that is the classic setup.

Ton's of guys used single hums in the 80's.

Not me. As soon as I heard Yngwie I had to have a neck pickup. I've had one on every guitar I've owned since.

 

[Chubtone]

I was told by a dealer that Charvel sold waaaay more So Cal's than San Dimas'.

Less 80's looking and more familiar to a Stratocaster with the pickguard.

That dealer would be totally incorrect.

 

[Chubtone]

Dave and barzini are right though

I know

You and Dave agree on everything! When are you getting your Cameron?

 

[Gainfreak]

I don't get it.

Is polished black and white the trademark look of somebody famous?

I'm being serious.

They did black for two years straight. They did a white So Cal and a white San Dimas 1. They sold out almost immediately. They just didn't build them with one humbucker because of the poll I talked about above.

On this forum Dave is saying they dropped the ball by not building one with one hum. On the Jackson forum, guys are saying they dropped the ball because they didn't do H-S-S or didn't do a hard tail, or didn't do a vintage brass trem, or didn't do a pointy head, or didn't do a dinky body or 24 frets or a recessed tremolo. I swear I've seen every single one of those normally followed by the line "they would have sold tons of these".

Dave and barzini are right though, the single hum was the popular config in the early 80's and that is the classic setup.

I agree!!
With that said, My 1 pickup guitar days are over... so even being a Charvel nut, I love having 2 pickups these days!

 

[Badronald]

I was told by a dealer that Charvel sold waaaay more So Cal's than San Dimas'.

Less 80's looking and more familiar to a Stratocaster with the pickguard.

That dealer would be totally incorrect.

Possible. Maybe he was just stating his experience as a store owner/dealer.

 

[Chubtone]

I was told by a dealer that Charvel sold waaaay more So Cal's than San Dimas'.

Less 80's looking and more familiar to a Stratocaster with the pickguard.

That dealer would be totally incorrect.

Possible. Maybe he was just stating his experience as a store owner/dealer.

Probably. In some of the batches one or the other was hot. I don't as a rule even like pickguard guitars but i have 2 So Cals and 1 San Dimas just because I had a white So Cal hang here and hang here like an unwanted puppy and I hadn't even played it. One day I walked by it and just flicked my fingers across the strings and it sounded huge. Whoa! I still didn't need the darn thing though so I left it there and tried to talk a couple of my Rig Talk buddies into it but no one was biting. Then I saw a tortured series in the same color from Wildwest and even though their had some goofy features on it I decided to torture this one and make it mine.

I know I have posted this before, but for the newer guys, here it is again.

 

[Digital Jams]

Dave, just buy one, plug the stinking neck pup hole with a block of wood, wood puddy the crap out of it, sand it, paint it.

There....done.

Solid body h/s........this is the one they dropped the ball on anyways

 

[squealie]

...I had a white So Cal hang here and hang here like an unwanted puppy and I hadn't even played it.

WHAT!?!?

Wish I had known that. Best I could tell, the white so-cals disappeared immediately...as did the white SDs.

I ended up with a 'snowdrift' SD from guitarhotline, and finally scored a polar so-cal on fleebay last week, after watching for months. All started with my blue SD. I hope 3 is enough for the coming drought. I don't touch the white SD at all. DONT EVEN LOOK AT IT!!!

 

[squealie]

The white one was the only one I liked in the SoCal pickguard version, I think I'm going back to maple though

How does it sound playing Bark at the Moon?

 

[Digital Jams]

The white one was the only one I liked in the SoCal pickguard version, I think I'm going back to maple though

How does it sound playing Bark at the Moon?

Depends on the level of chemicals he is on that night.

 

[squealie]

I have one IDENTICAL to this one. Got it from daver a few years ago.

how does it sound playing Bark at the Moon?

It's usually too drunk to sound right. It should try it in the first set instead of the third.

 

[Badronald]

Mmmmmm! Tasty. And the right price! Free shipping!

https://cgi.ebay.com/USA-Charvel-So-Cal- ... 719wt_1139

https://cgi.ebay.com/Charvel-USA-So-Cal- ... 500wt_1154

 

[Badronald]

https://cgi.ebay.com/2008-Charvel-Custom ... 929wt_1139