2011 Natural SoCal information

[Guitfiddlist]

​ ​ Hey all. Picked up this body and was curious if anybody could give me any info. I bought it as a Natural Finish according to the seller. But when I got it, I can’t really tell if it was poly-coated clear or if it was another color and stripped. I haven’t found much anything on Google either.
Thanks!

[pianoguyy]

you can't 'post' pictures here.
you'll need to post them somewhere else and then link them here.

[Guitfiddlist]

you can't 'post' pictures here.
you'll need to post them somewhere else and then link them here.

Thanks for the heads up. Here’s the ad:

https://reverb.com/item/28677305-charvel-socal-2011-natural-guitar-body-unpainted-mim

[metalhobo]

2011 charvel production was in japan, not mexico. but honestly, that body looks pretty dodgy for a japanese one. four pieces?

also, would never have been a natural finish with that end grain. would have been a burst most likely. but I don't remember any burst so-cals... also don't remember any mim so-cals with unrecessed floyds, while all the mij ones did.

maybe it was originally going to be a san dimas with a burst finish but someone fucked it up so they routed it into a solid-color so-cal? if it's actually a charvel body that's the only thing I can think of.

[Number Of The Priest]

If it helps, the pickguard screw holes seem to align with my 2011 So-Cal, pictured below. However, this was one guitar I owned that I didn't fully disassemble, and I wish I did because I might have been able to compare the neck pocket stamps with the body in question and see if it was routed for HSH under the pickguard. I suspect it's simply a body stripped of its finish.

metalhobo proposes an interesting theory about the body originally being a San Dimas but I should indicate that a San Dimas would have been rear-routed for electronics, and this body is front-routed like a So-Cal.

[Guitfiddlist]

Thank you both. I guess I won’t feel bad about stripping the clear coat on there and painting it.

[metalhobo]

If it helps, the pickguard screw holes seem to align with my 2011 So-Cal, pictured below. However, this was one guitar I owned that I didn't fully disassemble, and I wish I did because I might have been able to compare the neck pocket stamps with the body in question and see if it was routed for HSH under the pickguard. I suspect it's simply a body stripped of its finish.

metalhobo proposes an interesting theory about the body originally being a San Dimas but I should indicate that a San Dimas would have been rear-routed for electronics, and this body is front-routed like a So-Cal.

I scoured the web for mij so-cal and san dimas bodies to look at the neck pocket but couldn't find any clear pics.

also if the body was screwed up after the veneers were applied but before any routing occurred then it wouldn't have a back route.

I will say the top route looks pretty close to my 2008 usa pro mod and I would suspect the mij bodies would have used the same templates.

[Guitfiddlist]

I do recall seeing one for sale in an old reverb ad awhile back. So I found the ad again and this guys looks a lot like mine, but in the ad says it was stripped from another color.

https://reverb.com/item/3629085-charvel-so-cal-mij-w-jc11-serial-neck-most-desired

Mine actually feels like it’s factory finished poly but almost a matte poly.

[Number Of The Priest]

If you look at the hangtag for that Reverb guitar you just linked above, the original finish was Candy Red. It's definitely stripped. The red So-Cal I linked in my previous reply was also Candy Red.

[Guitfiddlist]

Number Of The Priest yeah that’s the only thing I had to go on for this body. So I’m guessing it was not just a natural finish body.

Daphne blue it is!

[metalhobo]

Mine actually feels like it’s factory finished poly but almost a matte poly.

it could be the sealer coat, which is usually clear and quite hard. it would look matte after stripping off the color coat.

[Guitfiddlist]

This is what I’m working on right now https://reverb.com/item/27390478-cha...s-black-finish

I just got the Musikraft neck for it and ready to finish and build it this weekend.

The original body mods and paint will be changed lol

[Guitfiddlist]

it could be the sealer coat, which is usually clear and quite hard. it would look matte after stripping off the color coat.

I suppose it could, but I’ve only seen sealer coat that thick on Indonesian Squier’s, Epiphones and other imports of those factories?

[pianoguyy]

I am wondering why the two jack cutouts - one on the top of the body, one on the side.

I am wondering if some sort of "oops, why routed the wrong section" is how it ended up being a trash can item.