Charvel Surfcaster Guitars

Shannon Edmonds says:

I have a Charvel Surfcaster C hardtail w/ Metallic Violet finish, Serial# 387769 Wondering if you have any info on this model? Need to replace tuning keys without altering the dimensions of the tuning holes, any suggestions? Anybody know the specs on this guitar like nut width or the direct replacements for the hardware. I love this guitar.

Farrell says:

One to add to the database.

Serial – #384631
Trans-Red with white logo // C-6
Original lipstick pups, electrics and pots all untouched, but some pocket cracks
Bought in the UK

Previous owner reckons it’s a ‘93, but would love to have a more informed idea. Currently in the process of picking up a ‘96 Jackson SC1 if anyone can help with info on that too.

Cheers!

mike trainor says:

Thanks!! Mine is currently up for sale to help pay a tax bill, sorry to say.

Mike Trainor says:

Don’t know how to add mine to the database, so here are the details:
Serial #: 378694
Black 12 string, two Chandler lipstick pickups, standard bridge.
Current Location: Kansas City, MO
Purchased in 2018 from a Guitar Center in Plano, TX.

Alex says:

Charvel Surfcaster 12 string Black Serial #380244 (2) lipstick pickups, White Chavel on headstock.

Hynek Dvorak says:

I posted earlier this year and see that I forgot to add a few details. Here is the requested information for my 2 surfcasters…

6 string tremolo, orange, black logo, 2 lipsticks, SN 374584, changed tone pot to 500k.

6 string tremolo, seafoam green, white logo, 2 lipsticks, SN 380333. Not aware of any modifications.

arron says:

Thanks for replying Graham with the information you have on my 12 string surf caster, really useful.

Kate Cogswell says:

Hi there! We have a seafoam #377710 that will be for sale very soon. Perhaps you’d want this on your data base for the moment. Was purchased in Baltimore about 20 years ago and will be making it’s way to a new home soon if all goes well. Would love any info you have to offer. Have plenty of pics.

Dan Harryman says:

Trying to find what Model is my Charvel 6 string electric guitar is. Serial number 372600

Wynand Van Reenen says:

Hi Guys, I have Surfcaster #386869 Black with the Jackson Hum in the bridge and lipstick in the neck. It says SFC-HT 3-2 in the neck pocket.

Phil Rosenthal says:

Graham – I am sending in my details now for my Surf 12-string

Linda L says:

I have one with a serial #9409470. Is this possible? It’s clearly marked Charvel Surfcaster. It’s eggplant. Any expert advise?

Robert says:

Hey everyone. I thought I left a message here yesterday so if I am repeating myself I apologize! But, I am in possession of a Surfcaster with a Kahler vibrato. The routing looks so perfect, like factory, but did they ever make such a beast? Anything anyone can tell me would be a help.

Much appreciated,

Robert

Eric Anderson says:

I am the only owner of a MINT Orange Surfcaster, 2 lipstick pickups, tremolo, coil tap. Never played outside of a bedroom or recording studio! SN#376078

Foz Questionmark says:

I’ve put up a few photos of my surfcaster for sale here: https://www.facebook.com/kindfoz/media_set?set=a.10152611899271485.1073741829.611516484&type=1&pnref=story

After a good polish and play i’m feeling a little sad to be selling it.

Starkitty says:

Yes it is green all over, 6 string, with a silver (?) charvel logo on back number plate thing – it has a made in Japan sticker too I have lost the tremolo arm – any idea where you can get it? Kicking myself as the guitar shop offered me the really nice hard case too but it was bulky and heavy – silly silly!!

Starkitty says:

I have a Charvel Surfcaster Seafoam Green, 2 lipstick pick ups, 370471 for your records. Must have bought it 1992?

Nathan says:

I wonder if anyone can help me… I have recently bought a surfcaster from a second-hand shop. It is orange (woodgrain) serial no. 384522 Any ideas on the year?
Also, is there an email address I can send all the other details so it can be included on this (serial number) page?
Cheers

John Barrett says:

HI huys….I have a sunburst surfcaster, serial 370956.any idea on year???…two lipstick pickups ,tone boost and tremolo. .original case…any ideas on a value??

Howie Walkup says:

Graham – I do have my sales receipt from Guitar Center showing the serial number as I stated dated 9/6/1991. After seeing the ad in Guitar Player I made a couple trips to Guitar Center to check the guitar out (It was love at first sight). They finally got a couple in and the black one talked to me (Twilight Zone theme insert here). As I remember, I was the first buyer for the model in the store. What happened next is still to come….

Howie Walkup says:

I am the original owner of a midnite black Surfcaster (6 string w/trem) Serial # 378361 bought in Berkeley Ca in Sept. 1991. It is totally stock with no alterations. It has a mahogany body. I will take some pictures in a future posting and have a terrific story of my encounter with FatDog at Subway guitars in Berkeley that took place when I took it in for a initial set-up after purchase. Later!

Thomas Ruetti says:

I will come up soon with details of mine. It’s an early Charvel 6 String in this fading green finish with black humbucker and the C-bridge. In mint condition. I’ll post serial and pics.
Thanks. Thomas, Zurich, Switzerland

mike says:

Would 378xxx serial be a genuine original surfcaster.
White charvel lettered headstock, highly figured orange top.
Mahogony body. Thanks

Kevan B says:

Absolutely correct description SignoftheDragon – I see i used the term ‘sunburst’ in my initial mail so apologies for not using accurate descriptors. To complete the description, mahogany body, flame maple top, roller nut and looking at the pics here it seems to be a standard model in all respects.

Kevan

Kevan B says:

Graham,

correct re the tremolo but the headstock logo is black. It has two lipstick pickups. Happy to provide pics if it would be useful?

Kevan

Kevan B says:

Niche products are great fun so i thought I’d add my example to the mix – it’s a basic transparent red sunburst six string I purchased new in the UK in January 1992 for £459. The only marginally interesting feature is the S/N which is 371000. It’s still in excellent condition and played regularly as a refreshing alternative to mainstream models.

Dave J says:

Thanks Graham, I only got the 1996 bit from what the shop listed, so be interested to know it’s actual age, it certainly has all the ‘classic’ original Surfcaster features and the logo is indeed white. The top is a subtle but beautiful tiger flame which doesn’t photograph at all easily ! I shall email you some pics … thanks for the welcome, I’ve just been quietly (it’s nearly midnight here) been running through the whole of The Byrds Greatest Hits … can’t put the thing down ! :D

Mike D. says:

I’ve been meaning to put this up for the past month…… Orange Trans 12 string, black toothpaste logo, serial #365636. Believe it to be a ’91(?). I also have two basses that are in the shop right now. This may irk some but I just couldn’t take the pickups in the bass. Tom Brantley, formerly of Lindy Fralin fame, has swapped out the ceramic magnets for alnicos and rewired to vintage specs with a few extra wounds thrown in for some added bite. I also had the phase function changed to tone only. Will post those when I get them back.

Dave J says:

Thanks :) and I forgot to include that it’s a 1996. Still has it’s little Made in Japan sticker, in fact the clear sticky film was still on the truss rod cover too ! (I did remove that .. my only ‘mod’, lol ;)

Dave J says:

I can add another here. After being keen on one of these for many years, I just acquired a trans red, mahogany bodied 12 string Surfcaster, serial number is 375726 for the database. Picked her up for 650 CAD plus shipping for the record, so not too inflated at all. Was located in Toronto, Canada, and she’s now located in Devon, England. She’s in great original condition, barely any wear and playing sweetly, just a couple of tiny finish surface dings, with what seems to be an original case going by the perfectly bodyformed internal – rectangular, black leather ends with white piping & stitching. She is very jangly indeed through my old Cornell Romany Plus with a Rothwell Love Squeeze compressor .. love the lipsticks ! Taken some photos already but not sure how to add them here. Loving having something different from the norm. I fancied a tangerine or green one .. but this one is super, sorta candy apple colour with binding and plate aged to a cream :) Nice to see people sharing information on these scarce, ‘cult’ guitars, always remembered them from the 90’s when Musical Exchanges in Birmingham had a display stand full of them in cool colours and I was surprised to see a Charvel without a pointy end :)

Rob says:

Hi there – I just received a Black Surfcaster here in Seattle from a store in NC, Charlette, I think. Guitar matches Bruce Cockburn’s two exactly – black body, white logo on headstock, two lipsticks, tremolo bridge, purchased for $800US. Overall condition is pretty good – no scratches or dents aside from two small indentations in the back of the neck. Minimal fret wear mostly on the first five frets. Tremolo bar missing (of course), as is the back plate. The Chandler in the bridge position was replaced but I’ve already located a replacement, new in box from back in the day. All-in-all it’s just perfect, lovely tone.

I’m working on finding a tremolo bar and am in contact with the guy referenced above. My luthier will fabricate a new back plate and may have a push-in tremolo bar that will work well. All the electricals seem kind of cheap, so will most likely replace all the wiring, knobs and jack but will keep the originals with the guitar and the old Chandler and the new one will stay in the guitar. But by the time I’m done, it will look completely stock and should play as good as new or better. The guitar came without a case so bought a relatively cheap garden-variety HSC for it locally.

I do a LOT of Bruce Cockburn covers and even do an annual Cockburn tribute for charity. I have been looking for one of these for years and couldn’t be happier with the one I found.

I’ll try to forward pictures, but that will have to wait until I get it back. It will be making its debut at this year’s tribute show at Egan’s Ballard Jamhouse June 22, 2013.

Thanks for maintaining this web site.

JerrySurf says:

Just bought a black Surfcaster Bass. Still awaiting it’s arrival, but it’s definitely of the prime, early ’90’s period. In fact, I think, correct me if I’m wrong, they only made these for two years, no? $700.00 with ohsc. Not bad at all for 2013.

Graham Pearson says:

Thanks for posting the additional info, Jaime. Although it seems there isn’t a strict correlation between Surfcaster serial numbers and date of manufacture, yours has a fairly early serial number and was therefore manufactured in 1991 or 1992. The “fat” frets are standard.

Some Surfcaster owners mistakenly think their guitars were made at the Fuji-Gen Gakki factory. In fact, Surfcasters were made at the Chusin Gakki factory in Nagano, Japan. I have an email from a gentleman who worked at the Chusin Gakki factory when Surfcasters were in production.

I hope your guitar brings you as many hours of pleasure as mine does. Best regards and please keep in touch.

Graham Pearson says:

Hey Jamie: Can you provide details of your Surfcaster?

You say the body color is red. Is the back of the body a mahogany color or is it the same color as the front? What color is the Charvel logo on the headstock? Is it a 6-string or a 12-string?

If a 6-string, does it have a tremolo or a “C” tailpiece? If a 6-string, does it have 2 lipstick pickups or 1 lipstick and 1 humbucker?

SignoftheDragon says:

JohnO: So far with as much info as you’ve posted, it seems like a legit Surfy- and if you can nab it for $700ish, you’ll be getting quite a deal. the 382XXX serial number puts it in the correct general range (we’re still talking the 1000-piece range until we get a dialed in #) as a few others in the database, but without pictures or more detailed info we’re just assuming at this point.

For the record, I have NEVER seen a fake Surfcaster- there’s a company out there, GRB Guitars that makes a ‘tribute’ guitar called the Kokocaster, but it’d be pretty hard to pass one of those off as a real surfcaster. New paint job, body work and hardware, including the ‘C’ tailpiece and a period-correct neckplate would likely cost a forger more than a true Surfcaster on the used market.

Mostly buyers just need to be aware of the variances between the surfcaster models over the years, and make sure they are getting the guitar they are desiring for th price they are paying. Some unscrupulous seller may try to pass off an india-made (or a Jackson Starz reissue) as a first-gen surfcaster, but these are usually pretty easy to spot if you’ve done your homework.

John O says:

Oh, and it has the “C” tailpiece

Lorenzo says:

Sorry, i was looking again at the shots i had from the seller, i forgot that the one with the serial number shows a little label that says “made in japan”, so this is the answer at my questions. Question now is just: in which year do they move to India?
Thanks
Lor

Graham Pearson says:

Hello Lorenzo:

The first batch of Surfcasters have a scrolled Charvel signature on a “Gumby” shaped headtock. There are many pictures of these on this web site. These were built in the 1991 – 1995 time frame and have serial numbers in the range 335XXX through 388XXX. These are more valueable than the second batch of Surfcasters that have a Jackson signature on a more plain-shaped headstock. They are fetching upwards of $900.

The guitar you are interested in should be priced less than $900. Of course, a guitar’s price is what it’s worth to the owner. Hope all of this detail helps.

Graham

rob says:

couple of questions for the surfcaster experts –

if serial #’s were not sequential and no records were ever kept, please explain what the purpose of a serial # would be?- doesn’t seem like there would be any reason for even putting them on the guitars, and if no records are kept, I mean why spend the $’s to even buy the serial # plates, just lower your cost of manufacturing-

other question, is what is the best guess on the total # of surfcasters made in japan, before the name change (to jackson) and change in style and manufacturing to india –

every now and then you see these guitars for sale, but not often enough to think that very many were made, or possibly it means they just weren’t (or aren’t) that popular – thanks for the info, really like this info site – rob

Matt L. says:

Thanks for the replies. I didn’t see an email for “Surfcaster” (?).
Moderately interesting story – I recently re-acquired my ’95 Surfcaster (Sea Foam, Hard tail, lipstick/humbuck). I purchased it used from the local paper in 1996 for $400. “Sold” it to a buddy to pay for a transmission in my car in 2000 for $600 – with the intent on buying it back when I saved up the money. Flash forward 12 years – and I had to trade a brand new Reverend Double Agent II to get it back! Now I’m putting it back close to stock from when I originally bought it. I’m really happy to have this back in my herd. It was really the first “nice” guitar I ever owned.

Graham Pearson says:

NON-PERMANENT MODS??? Don’t feel bad, SS. I disclosed the fact that I string my 12-string as a 6-string and SignOfTheDragon chewed my tail. I’m still darning a new seat in my jeans.

Matt L. says:

Is this site still active other than this comments section? Who and how can I submit info on my Surfcaster? I would like to contribute to the database.

Brad Jaffe says:

Hi: Here’s one for the database: Serial Number 385871. Charvel Surfcaster 6 string “C” hardtail. “Star glo” finish–the brownish-orange sunburst rather than the reddish fireglo sunburst. Here’s something perhaps unusual about this guitar: it doesn’t have the asymmetrical “Gumby” headstock that every other Charvel labeled Surfcaster I’ve seen has. The headstock looks like the Jackson Surfcaster headstock–it’s smaller. Does anyone know when Charvel changed the headstock shape? Here’s a link to a picture of the guitar: http://oliviasvintageguitars.com/other/guitars/2242/

Graham Pearson says:

Hey F. Rankenstone: Can you provide details of your Surfcaster? 6 string “C” hardtail, 6 string tremolo, or 12 string? Body color? Is the back of the body a mahogany color or the same color as the front? Color of Charvel logo?

Graham Pearson says:

The Jackson Surfcaster is not one of the first series of Surfcasters that have serial numbers in the range 335XXX – 388XXX. The original Surfcasters have Charvel on the headstock and typically sell for more than the Jackson Surfcasters.

So don’t buy this guitar as an investment. Buy it only if you like the way it plays and the price is right. Search eBay for pricing on Charvel versus Jackson Surfcasters, bearing in mind that some auctions are way over-priced.

Hope this helps,
Graham

Nick says:

Thanks John
Could newer information be added to the .xls template here?
Cheers
Nick

Nick says:

Are there any updates for the serial number chart above?

Mark B. says:

Sorry I’m typing on my phone. I meant “has” not “had”.

I think the neck plate was simply replaced and I’ll never know the original serial number. The guitar looks like it had taken a bit of a beating over the years.

Graham Pearson says:

The original issue Charvel Surfcasters, made in Japan in the early nineties with the fancy neck plates, had serial numbers in the range 335XXX – 388XXX. Yours is a later issue, probably with the Jackson logo rather than the Charvel logo, probably not made in Japan.

BlackSurfcaster says:

All Black Surf 12 String
Lipstick PU w/Coil tap on bridge
Pearl Pick Guard
Black Headstock w/White Charvel Logo
Ser# 375819
Purchased for around $775.00 off eBay several years ago (2005?)
Currently resides in Utah, USA

Jim Kubik says:

Bought my ’91 Surfcaster brand new in a music shop in San Diego, CA in 1992. I still own it and it is still in perfect condition.

Body color = red, front and back
Logo color = white
6-string with tremlo
serial = 371337

Penky says:

Hi
Just found your website. I own 377608. I purchased it for £500 in 2002, It is in pristine condition and now lives happily in Stoke on Trent in England. Cheers Penky

Graham Pearson says:

Hi Paul:

Welcome to the forum. I already have an entry in the serial number database for your guitar. It looks like you bought it on eBay from “gravitymusic”. The entry indicates the Charvel logo is white and the body is all black i.e. the back of the body is not mahogany with a clear varnish finish. Please let me know if either of these details is incorrect.

Enjoy your 12-string. I have a red 12-string but I string it and play it as a 6-string. If you ever get tired of playing it as a 12-string, the 6-string option works really well.

Keep in touch.
Graham

mikethepsychike says:

I bought a surfcaster, orange burst with 2 lipstick pickups, mahogany back, black Charvel logo on headstock in 1996 in UK.

I paid £300 for it. Serial number 37436x. There was no case with it but I already had a shaped silver Charvel case which I bought second hand because I liked it.

It looks and feels well-made and is certainly different. Haven’t played it for a while but seing this site has inspired me to get it out more.

Thanks
Mike
UK

Jeff Myers says:

Hi guys, I bought an orange/burst, twin lipstick pickup Surfcaster in the early 1990’s: Serial number 377639 in the UK from an ad in a quality music magazine (tho I cannot remember which). I think that I paid about £400 for it + case (which is seemingly generic). I absolutely loved the sounds I could get from it – and from looking at other pictures I know that it’s an original – but the build quality is really poor on my model. There are two raised points – ‘nipples’ for want of a better description which have not been smoothed down – these actually push through the final surface varnish in front of the bridge – and there is a really crude – but tiny – right angled cut – hacked through the scratch plate next to one of the ‘nipples’. Almost as if it was done to accommodate the mistake. If it wasn’t for the great sound I would have returned the guitar for a refund. Since then I’ve been offered ridiculous amounts to sell it – but always refused. I assumed that it was ‘rush made on a Friday evening, just before the workers left for the weekend’. Do you guys have any ideas?

Silversurfer says:

Yenshan – The Charvel Surfcaster acoustic electrics seem to usually run in the $300-400 range. From what I can gather, they were made in the mid 1990’s and probably made in Japan, which means the build quality is probably pretty decent, but the design doesn’t really lend itself to a good sounding acoustic guitar, hence, the lack of demand and lower value. Still, an interesting piece of Charvel Surfcaster history.

SignoftheDragon says:

Sunburst 12?!? You just made my day! What was the original finish color?

SignoftheDragon says:

The serial numbers from that period (along with the neckplates that are found on almost all surfcasters) were spread out over all bolt-on models made in Japan. All of the Charvel guitars that were made there during that period have the same neckplate, and as far as anyone has been able to tell, there really was no attempt to keep them sequential or even grouped in any decipherable way. The 20K spread sounds reasonable considering ALL of the guitars that were made in that period, but I’ve never been able to track down how many of them were Surfcasters. THe most insightful estimate I’ve heard is: “Not many.”

Silversurfer says:

Call me pessimistic, but if the serial numbers are indeed sequential, the above serial number records would suggest that in 1992, at least 2869 Surfcasters were made. Seems like an awfully high number to me, even for a mass produced guitar. But I’m no expert – I’ve only owned 2 Surfcasters, not 30 ; )

Silversurfer says:

Scott – email some pictures per the above email by Graham, just ’cause we like looking at these guitars.

No one is really sure that there IS any rhyme or reason to the sequencing of Surfcaster serial numbers. On a Jackson Charvel forum, it’s been mentioned that in the 90’s, Charvel import neck plates were just in buckets around the shop and the workers just grabbed neckplates from whichever bucket was closest to them. IF this is true, that makes any sort of date coding based on neck plate serial numbers impossible. Charvel certainly didn’t keep any records and Fender never got a “book” of serial numbers when they acquired Charvel.

Graham Pearson says:

David:

Please email pictures of your guitar to donrownrocks@yahoo.com. Include pics of the front and back of the body, the front of the peghead, and the neckplate with its serial number. Our highly-paid multi-talented web designer can then post these pics so we can all drool and slobber over your axe. If for some reason you can’t email pictures, please let us know 4 things:

1. The color of the Charvel logo on the peghead
2. Does it have 2 lipsticks or 1 lipstick and 1 humbucker pickup?
3. Is the back of the body red or is it mahogany?
4. Does the tail piece have a “C” in it?

Thanks David, and please keep in touch.

SignoftheDragon says:

I figure narrowing it down to 10s would be close enough for dating purposes, while keeping enough anonymity for safety’s sake. (i.e. 36674?)

The 2 I sold over the last year I kept disclosure to 100s, (i.e. 3792??) because I don’t own them anymore- out of courtesy to the current owners’ privacy. We’ll let them fill them in if they like, when they find their way here.

I’ve heard of many scams involving serial # fraud- mostly in insurance claims when it comes to older guitars. Scammers use stolen pics & serial #s to claim losses on guitars they never owned, and claim them destroyed or stolen during some catastrophe or other- leaving you with a guitar that is on record somewhere as stolen or destroyed, and causing who knows how much future inconvenience (possible arrest? insurance fraud allegations?) when you decide to sell it.

silversurfer says:

I’m probably being paranoid, but I was always under the impression that if you buy a guitar second hand, you shouldn’t disclose serial numbers with pics. The thought was that someone could report your instrument as stolen from them, provide the police with the serial number of an instrument they never owned, complete with pictures. Again, probably being paranoid, but in this age of online scams and identity theft, I’d rather err on the side of safety.

Besides, I’ve read on the Jackson forum that the serial number plates for imports in the 90’s were randomly selected from multiple bins – making any sort of serial number registry pointless and date coding by serial numbers, inaccurate. No way to substantiate this other than postings on the web, but it sounds entirely possible.

Graham Pearson says:

CikMick:
My best guess on the year of manufacture of your Surfcaster bass (S/N 379397) is probably 1994, possibly late 1993. There’s a black bass in Germany S/N 379004 that was purchased in 1994 and a 6-string sea-foam “C” tail in the UK S/N 383321 that was purchased in 1994.

Graham Pearson says:

CikMick:
Please email pictures of your bass to donrownrocks@yahoo.com. Include pics of the front and back of the body, the front of the peghead, and the neckplate with its serial number. This will help our magnificent in-house research department and dating service date your bass guitar.

CikMick says:

ive been trying to figure out the year of my bass and came upon your site its a charvel surfcaster bass serial 379397 i bought it from a pawn shop in surrey BC Canada for 100$ and a cheap samick guitar i carved a skull into (: its still mint and the richest sounding bass ive ever played im wondering if its japanese made or made in india maybe you would know

Graham Pearson says:

It seems to me that all the early Surfcasters had 2 lipstick pickups. Certainly all the early Surfcasters registered on this site have 2 lipstick pickups. Surfcasters with humbuckers at the bridge didn’t come along until later. Serial number 386027 is the earliest 1 lipstick / 1 humbucker Surfcaster listed on this site so far.

This makes the originality of the neck plate with serial number 370752 on David’s guitar suspect, not just because of its unusual appearance with the uneven digits, but because 370??? is a fairly early serial number.

David Espinoza says:

Regarding the questions about the neckplate for #370752: I have no idea about the neckplate. It was on the guitar when I bought it. I assumed it was original. At the time I bought this guitar I had never heard of the Surfcaster. All I knew of Charvel & Jackson was Eddie VanHalen and shredders. I bought it because it played very well. I love the wide neck and the low action, the combo of the lipstick tube and humbucker. The fact that it looks cool was also a selling point.

Graham Pearson says:

I agree with Silversurfer. That neck plate looks quite different to mine. On mine the following areas are shiny chrome: the Charvel logo, the rectangular area used to stamp the serial number, and the frame around the edge of the neck plate. i.e. all the raised areas are chrome and the other area is black.

barney says:

Sure. Depending on the (rather shaky) dollar back in 1994, my 2nd hand Surfcaster must have cost between 395 and 470 US-Dollars then – i paid 700 Deutsche Mark, way less than the retail price around the time.
I’ll be happy to provide a photo once i’ve only managed to come up with a decent one… (only have detail photos at the moment). Soon, i promise!
Could you maybe add ‘Surfcaster Bass black’ to the year in the details field?
Thanks, best

David Espinoza says:

I have a Surfcaster that I would like to add to your table of serial numbers and post a photo or two. The serial number is 370752. I bought it for $325.00 in 1997 and it currently “resides” in Eugene OR. It has the lipstick tube p/u in the neck+ Jackson humbucker p/u in the bridge. Let me know how to get you photos for your site.

silversurfer says:

Of course; happy to provide images. Let’s see if this link code works:
Seafoam Green – Serial No. 3853XX

Star-glo – Serial No. 3789XX

Also, here’s a URL for a scan of the ’92 Charvel-Jackson catalog, including pages for the Surfcaster. It’s interesting as it provides a listing of all available finish colors, and at the back of the catalog, a description of Surfcaster parts (i.e. bridge, pickups, etc.).

Great job on putting this site together, so far BTW

ToddR says:

I picked up a red/orange burst Surfcaster for myself as a birthday present a couple years ago. It has the sound hole, mahogany back, beautiful bookmatched flamed maple top, tremolo (missing arm – help!?), shark fin inlays and black Charvel logo. I paid $500 for it. Serial number is 375132. I love it. One of the best made, best finished guitars I have owned.

James R says:

bought it for $300. he didn’t know what he had

Silversurfer says:

I have to agree with Graham; sounds like it’s legit. The only company making a Surfcaster copy is GRB, but they call it a “tribute” and they’re very easily distinguished from Charvel Surfcasters.

It’s less common to see the white Charvel logo on the quilt top Orange color, but it’s quite common to see the black logo on the Trans Red finish. Perhaps yours is the transparent Red? To make things more confusing, there appear to be 2 different Sunburst finishes: 1. More like a Rickenbacker Star-glow finish (Red to Natural fade) and 2. More like a traditional Cherry Sunburst finish (Red to Yellow fade). The former had white Charvel logos and the latter had black logos.

The tracking of serial numbers is going to tough; I contacted Fender, who now owns Charvel and they said that Charvel didn’t really keep serial number records and that no information was turned over to them.

Please keep the Surfcaster dialogue going – I’d love to hear from other owners!

Graham Pearson says:

James, if the back of the body of your Surfcaster has a mahogany finish and it has 2 lipstick pickups, this was known as an orange figured-top model. From the serial number, I would guess it was made in 1993 or 1994.

I have a red figured-top 12-string (back of body has a mahogany finish) and the Charvel logo is white like yours, serial number 372437 (1992 ?). I suspect the pickups and electronics in the 12-string are identical to the 6-string. I use mine as a 6-string and it sounds really good.