USA San Dimas vs MIJ So Cal?

[crwnedblasphemy]

Pros and cons?

Couple local FS. The San Dimas is desert yellow, so cal is white with black pick guard

 

[AndyK]

I like my MIJ San Dimas better than the USA Pro Mods I previously owned. Nicer frets, more comfy neck with rolled edges, just better.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Guy in the mij so cal said pickups are stock tone zone neck and evolution bridge. Is that really stock?

 

[Racerxrated]

Try to play them both. I had 2 MIJ, one was killer and one was OK. The USA I have now is killer, slightly better than the killer MIJ. Both are better than the mim ones I've tried. If they are the same price I'd get the USA just for resale. The MIJ ones are really nice though. And they came with a case!

 

[Racerxrated]

Guy in the mij so cal said pickups are stock tone zone neck and evolution bridge. Is that really stock?

Some came with JB/59, others with DiMarzios.

 

[thisguy]

Try to play them both. I had 2 MIJ, one was killer and one was OK. The USA I have now is killer, slightly better than the killer MIJ. Both are better than the mim ones I've tried. If they are the same price I'd get the USA just for resale. The MIJ ones are really nice though. And they came with a case!

I think all the MIJ So Cals had those pick ups but reversed meaning TZ in the bridge and Evo in the neck.

The San Dimas had Duncans.

 

[sytharnia1560]

yeah so cals have TZ bridge/evo neck .... the necks on the so cals are "smaller" than the san dimas and are super comfy, but if you don't really dig small necks then the san dimas would be a better choice. I have played quite a few side by side and the only real difference between pro mod US and japan made is the rounded frets on the japan ones. I think the desert yellow was one of the limited colour runs they did around 2008

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Here are both:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/msg/5042487545.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/msg/5039638959.html
taxi cab yellow.

 

[nigelpkay]

That's a tough one, the MIJ are nice, but the neck did seem slightly smaller than USA's/MIM that I've tried. They have the nice rolled edges, but the neck wood has this weird yellow tint to them that gets annoying after awhile as well.

I would go for the San Dimas, it's a unique color and would hold value better.

 

[RG955TT]

USA, love mine, great neck and a good chunk of wood. Swapped my brindge for a Frankenstein pickup as well

 

[Bishop5150]

My So Cal came brand new from Sweetwater with Duncan's. JB and a SH6N. I liked it but I swapped the pups for EMG's and stuck on an old early 80's rosewood Charvel neck I had in place of the maple it came with to give it more of a Jake E. Lee look.

 

[fek]

I have USA SoCal and MIJ San Dimas.

The SoCal had the Tone Zone yanked pretty much immediately. Too boomy. Replaced with a JB. Plays awesome and I love it.

The San Dimas sounds awesome and plays just as good as the SoCal. The strings seem a little slinkier on the San Dimas.

Either one would be a winner for me. I would own a third in a second.

 

[halebox]

The yellow sd dont come up often grab it. I think the usa are better wood

 

[Racerxrated]

My So Cal came brand new from Sweetwater with Duncan's. JB and a SH6N. I liked it but I swapped the pups for EMG's and stuck on an old early 80's rosewood Charvel neck I had in place of the maple it came with to give it more of a Jake E. Lee look.

Nice! Props man.......

 

[nigelpkay]

The yellow sd dont come up often grab it. I think the usa are better wood

This too, I forgot to mention that, I think the USAs had better body wood than the MIJ (and MIM).

 

[nigelpkay]

My So Cal came brand new from Sweetwater with Duncan's. JB and a SH6N. I liked it but I swapped the pups for EMG's and stuck on an old early 80's rosewood Charvel neck I had in place of the maple it came with to give it more of a Jake E. Lee look.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but how are the EMGs in your Charvel? I have a custom shop that is extremely middy and "dry" sounding, it's very sweet sounding wood, but all mids and dry. I tried some Seymour Duncan Blackouts, and while they sounded good, they were way too much output and I think I prefer the edgier sound of the EMG81. Otherwise I might throw a Super Distortion in there to be old school.

 

[blackie13]

My So Cal came brand new from Sweetwater with Duncan's. JB and a SH6N. I liked it but I swapped the pups for EMG's and stuck on an old early 80's rosewood Charvel neck I had in place of the maple it came with to give it more of a Jake E. Lee look.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but how are the EMGs in your Charvel? I have a custom shop that is extremely middy and "dry" sounding, it's very sweet sounding wood, but all mids and dry. I tried some Seymour Duncan Blackouts, and while they sounded good, they were way too much output and I think I prefer the edgier sound of the EMG81. Otherwise I might throw a Super Distortion in there to be old school.

mess with the height...

 

[Bishop5150]

My So Cal came brand new from Sweetwater with Duncan's. JB and a SH6N. I liked it but I swapped the pups for EMG's and stuck on an old early 80's rosewood Charvel neck I had in place of the maple it came with to give it more of a Jake E. Lee look.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but how are the EMGs in your Charvel? I have a custom shop that is extremely middy and "dry" sounding, it's very sweet sounding wood, but all mids and dry. I tried some Seymour Duncan Blackouts, and while they sounded good, they were way too much output and I think I prefer the edgier sound of the EMG81. Otherwise I might throw a Super Distortion in there to be old school.

I dig them. I use the 85 in the bridge of all my gigging guitars. Mainly for consistency when switching guitars which I do a lot in our set.

 

[charvelstrat81]

Of those two i vote for the USA san dimas
it has a EVH frankenstein pickup and has more value.
I have a MIA and a MIJ and both are equally great but to me the USA built
feels and sounds better.