Charvel has launched a high-performance S-style electric guitar for those who like their six-strings to look as though they have been recovered from a demolished building, with the finish all but hanging off the instrument.
It’s called the Super-Stock So-Cal Style 1. It’s a limited edition model, and its Aged Arctic nitrocellulose finish might have some confusing it with the superlative Henrik Danhage Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1.
At first blush they are quite similar. But this is quite a different instrument from Danhage's sassafras-bodied signature guitar. Here we have an alder body, with much of that alder on show as the paint job has been heavily distressed.
You could call it buckle rush on the back. The front is a little more dramatic. It wears this well. The tortoisehell guard, the licensed Stratocaster headstock and the Gibson style speed knobs for volume and tone give it a distinctly Frankenstein’d vibe.
The pickups – not to mention what will be a typically on-point build from the Charvel team – should make this a serious guitar. We have a DiMarzio Super Distortion at the bridge, a DiMarzio Dark Matter single-coil at the middle position, and a DiMarzio PAF Pro at the neck, and a five-way blade-style selector switch for five core tones.
As is the house style on Charvel guitars, this has a bolt-on maple neck, satin smooth, reinforced with graphite rods. There are 22 jumbo frets on a 12” to 16” compound radius fingerboard. And you’ll find that fingerboard has rolled edges. Even the dot inlays are aged on this.
There’s a Floyd Rose 1000 Series double-locking vibrato and a set of Charvel-branded die-cast tuners.
Another couple of aesthetic flourishes that are worth a mention; there is a matching painted headstock, with just a soupçon of checking to keep it on message with the distressed finish, and the “double crème” pickup bobbins are really cool.
Other details you’ll recognise from its Charvel siblings include the heel-mounted thumbwheel for making quick tweaks to the truss rod, and that super-speed neck profile. The scale length is an on-brand 25.5” – after all, this is essentially a souped-up HSH Stratocaster.
Charvel doesn’t put a number on how limited this run is but at £1,129/$1,599 street this is a lot of guitar for the money – expect it to sell like hot cakes.
Get it while it’s hot. Price includes a gig bag. See Charvel for more details.
