Charvel Surfcaster
| Charvel Surfcaster | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Charvel or Jackson |
| Period | 1992 — 2005 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Semi Hollow |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on |
| Woods | |
| Body | Mahogony or Basswood |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Rosewood or Maple |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Jackson JT-490 tremolo or 'C' stop tail |
| Pickup(s) | 2 lipstick single-coils, 1 lipstick and 1 humbucker |
| Colors available | |
| Solid colors: Sea Foam Green, Black, Magenta, Purple. Transparent finishes: Orange, Red, Cherryburst, Greenburst. | |
The Charvel Surfcaster is a model of electric guitar designed in the early 1990s, and manufactured from 1991 to 2005 by the Charvel/Jackson guitar company. The Surfcaster has been considered a boutique style guitar that employs many retro styles from leading manufacturers of the fifties and sixties. These design aspects make it significantly different than other models from Charvel/Jackson that focused mainly on the hard rock guitarist. The Surfcaster was picked as a "Pawn Shop Prize" by Guitar Player magazine in July 2003.
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[edit] Sound and playability
The Surfcaster guitar is typically known for its twang and was originally targeted to the Country music guitar player. The low output Chandler lipstick pickups contribute to the open airy sound. Later models with humbucker pickups appealed to Metal and Pop guitarists.
[edit] Design
Originally available only in the two lipstick pickup configuration, later models would include a humbucking pickup in the bridge position. Later solid body 3 lipstick pickup variations were also produced. A twelve string and four string bass version were also created and are highly collectible. In later years the Surfcaster was released under the Jackson brand name and production facilities changed from Japan to India. Quality & cosmetics suffered. When Charvel/Jackson was purchased by Fender in 2002 they dropped the Surfcaster because of its similarity to guitars sold under the Fender brand.
[edit] Notable Surfcaster players
- Bilge Kosebalaban of Direc-t
- Scott Ian of Anthrax
- Bruce Cockburn
- Tommy Victor of Prong (Cleansing era)
- Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine
- Mark Collins (musician) of The Charlatans (UK band)
- David Lowery of Cracker/CamperVanBeethoven
- Barry Hay of Golden Earring
