“A modernized take on the classic shred machine”: Charvel beckons a new era for its So-Cal Superstrat – and brings the classic Pro-Mod model into the modern era

Meet the New Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 Feat. Soren Andersen | Charvel Guitars - YouTube

Charvel has ushered in a new era for its classic So-Cal Superstrat, promising to bring the axe’s shred-ready design into the modern age through its latest Pro-Mod Plus models.

The modernized take on the electric guitar features a 12”-16” compound radius fingerboard at its heart, along with high-output Seymour Duncan Distortion humbuckers in its guts.

There are three variants available, all featuring alder bodies and bolt-on caramelized maple necks with graphite reinforcements. The Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 HH FR EB ($1,369.99) and Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 HH FR CM ($1,299.99) feature Floyd Rose 1500 Series floating tremolos, as well as ebony and caramelized maple fretboards, respectively.

On the flip side, the Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 HH HT E ($1,229.99) keeps things simple with a Charvel-branded hardtail bridge, ebony fingerboard, and die-cast locking tuners.

They’re all 25.5” in scale, with rolled edges, five-way pickup switches, Luminlay side dots, and one-ply anodized aluminum pickguards to round out the Superstrat performance and aesthetic.

Elsewhere, the Seymour Duncan Distortion pups are tailored for “powerful but balanced rock and metal tones with rich upper-midrange harmonic content”.

“This modernized take on the classic So Cal shred machine packs even more cutting-edge features for lightning-fast playing,” says Charvel.

The Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 HH FR EB is available in Snow White with a black pickguard and hardware, and Candy Apple Red with a white pickguard and gold hardware.

Its caramelized maple sibling comes in Blue Burst and Scorched Earth, both with black pickguards and hardware.

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Charvel Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 HH FR CM — (Image credit: Charvel)

The hardtail model, the Pro-Mod Plus So-Cal Style 1 HH HT E, is available in Ferrari Red and Scorched Earth colorways with black accoutrements. All finishes are gloss, and their Stratocaster headstocks are painted to match.

Head to Charvel for more.

For other new Charvel releases, look no further than Rick Graham’s reprised signature model and its new heavy relic’d So Cal.

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.

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