would love one of these charvel surfcaster.

racefaceec90

would love the green one. shame charvel don't make them any more :-(

anyone owned/played one?

ICBM

I really, really wanted one until I played one…. and then discovered they have my least favourite type of neck, wide and flat with girders on.

timmysoft

I've always wanted one! For me they are the guitar that reminds me of 90s pop rock and Americana.

DiscoStu

Always loved the look of the Surfcasters, especially the orange ones.
So guess what- this is my mate's one and he's never let me play it.

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/38696_1159553446906_3071363_n.jpg?oh=f05f52a74ccb02b0b7ed9dd5dc8dc592&oe=541C7F34

ThePrettyDamned

ICBM;274622" said:

I really, really wanted one until I played one…. and then discovered they have my least favourite type of neck, wide and flat with girders on.

You mean those really good necks?

Sounds like iI'm in

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

I really, really wanted one until I played one…. and then discovered they have my least favourite type of neck, wide and flat with girders on.

Those are the best kind!

Actually seriously I don't like super-big frets. I actually probably prefer mediumish.

RocknRollDave

My mate had one which needed a bit of attention, and despite me being only slightly ahead of him on that front I got to take custody of it for a while. 

I found the pickups to be too thin sounding for my liking, the push-push tone pot seemed to put them out of phase or in phase or whatever the right way round is..but it sounded horrible whatever it was. A vague approximation of Brian May's worst sound was possible, let's say.

BUT unlike @ICBM, I loved the neck and thought it deserved a better guitar.

Deadman

Maybe the fact that they're not in production anymore has something to do with a Mr John Hall?
Gorgeous looking guitars. I'd love one too.

TonyR

Up until September last year (when I sold it) I owned a 1992 6 string Surfcaster that I imported from Holland in 2002 - I couldn't find one in the UK for love nor money.

I'd always wanted one since I first saw one in a music shop in Leeds in the very early 1990s - I think it was the Rickenbacker-esque slash hole that caught my eye.

I used it as my main guitar for a while as it was very easy to play - superb neck.

The twin lipstick pickups were very thin sounding - it didn't to heavy by any stretch of the imagination! Consequently it wasn't particularly versatile and I personally didn't think it sounded all that characterful. The tone pot had a push-pull switch that changed the phasing of the pickups and to be honest it was a pretty useless sound so much so I didn't use it!

It was a lovely guitar to look at but sound wise it no longer fitted the bill for me so I move it on. 

Here's a pic of it:

The Charvel Surfcasters are the ones to look for - they were good quality guitars made in Japan, the later Jackson ones are less desirable as the quality isn't there.

Incidentally Charvel also made a 12 string and a bass version too! 

Lixarto

I want one. Without any humbuckers.

gilby

Wasn't there a blue one on here for sale earlier in the year? Was interested myself but the neck profile wasn't for me.

glt56

Just part-ex'd this last week: 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/glt56/Charvel Surfcaster/8876232796_51394e1a8b_b.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/glt56/Charvel Surfcaster/8876231736_6c46c15f68_b.jpg

on this:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/glt56/Rickenbacker 330 Pearl White/d8eaa554-46bb-4ab8-a401-594f0e4bce61.jpg?t=1403592898

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r202/glt56/Rickenbacker 330 Pearl White/RICK-WHITE-1.jpg

The Surfcaster was ex-Pretenders owned by Adam Seymour, with the Pretenders from 1993 to 2007.  I just couldn't get on with the jumbo frets and very low output lipstick pickups.  If you want to buy the Surfcaster, maybe Tim at Sound Affects in Ormskirk will sell it?  Although he did say he might hang on to it...

Basher

Deadman said:

Maybe the fact that they're not in production anymore has something to do with a Mr John Hall?
Gorgeous looking guitars. I'd love one too.

According to Wikipedia:

"When Charvel/Jackson was purchased by Fender in 2002 they dropped the Surfcaster because of its similarity to guitars sold under the Fender brand."

I'll grant you that this is not always a very reliable source but it seems more plausible suggestion than pressure from Hall/Rickenbacker, although I know he does like a bit of litigation. The sharkfin inlays are a bit Rick-esque but didn't Charvel use them on other models.
I think the Surfcasters look OK but are a bit of a dogs breakfast design-wise. The solid colours with just lipsticks and without trems work best for me.

ICBM

Basher said:

Deadman said:

Maybe the fact that they're not in production anymore has something to do with a Mr John Hall?
Gorgeous looking guitars. I'd love one too.

According to Wikipedia:

"When Charvel/Jackson was purchased by Fender in 2002 they dropped the Surfcaster because of its similarity to guitars sold under the Fender brand."

I'll grant you that this is not always a very reliable source but it seems more plausible suggestion than pressure from Hall/Rickenbacker, although I know he does like a bit of litigation. The sharkfin inlays are a bit Rick-esque but didn't Charvel use them on other models.

The only bit Mr. Hall could have a claim over is the soundhole - but it wouldn't surprise me if he did. The rest of it is definitely more Jazzmaster-derived than Rickenbacker. I doubt the inlays are close enough to the Rick ones or a unique enough idea to be trademarked, although I could be wrong.

DannyP

I thought Rickenbacker had a problem with the headstock shape too?

Deadman

DannyP;275793" said:

I thought Rickenbacker had a problem with the headstock shape too?

I just presumed that too.

ICBM

Deadman said:

DannyP said:

I thought Rickenbacker had a problem with the headstock shape too?

I just presumed that too.

It doesn't really look close enough to me, even upside down. I could be wrong though.

I'm not sure if RIC have trademarked all their head shapes (have a look at the white guitar above for an example of one of the earlier versions they don't normally use now) or just the classic one with the rounded top corner.

dogload

I've always had a hankering for a Surfcaster. I tried to get a 12-string when they first came out and failed miserably, although I did end up getting a Fender Electric XII instead. 

Nontheless, they remain one of those 'what-ifs' for me. To this day, I haven't even come across one in a shop to even try, let alone buy! They seem to have acquired a bit of a price tag from those I've seen online though.

Deadman

ICBM;275954" said:

Deadman said:

DannyP said:I thought Rickenbacker had a problem with the headstock shape too?

I just presumed that too.










It doesn't really look close enough to me, even upside down. I could be wrong though.

I'm not sure if RIC have trademarked all their head shapes (have a look at the white guitar above for an example of one of the earlier versions they don't normally use now) or just the classic one with the rounded top corner.

It's not a carbon copy, granted. It's the angle the top is cut at and you know how protective R are. It wouldn't surprise me if their lawyers have pursued it.

ICBM

Deadman said:

It's not a carbon copy, granted. It's the angle the top is cut at and you know how protective R are. It wouldn't surprise me if their lawyers have pursued it.

No, me neither! But it would surprise me if they won.

The soundhole is a clear copy though, and RIC do have a trademark on that, so that alone would have been enough.