Reliable source for serial # info on '90s era imports?

[SignoftheDragon]

Seems like all of the fervor dies down when it comes to the final years of Charvel's first life- I can find lots of reliable info on model series imports, etc. but things start to get fuzzy after the address dissapeared from the import neckplates.

I'm mostly interested in this to further my research on Surfcasters, but I figure it could be useful to others interested in the Charvels from this era.

Specific questions-

1) when did the no-address neckplates start appearing on import Charvels? (and what serial#)

2) when did they cease production on import Charvels with that neckplate? (and what serial#)

3) was production on these still done at Chushin Gakki? I've seen many (unconfirmed) reports of surfcasters made at Fuji-Gen Gakki.


Little help?

[SignoftheDragon]

Seriously? Nothing?

I can post the results of my (scant) research- I've tracked about 100 surfcasters (of all varieties, but all within the relevant neckplate era) so far.

Earliest serial# is 36674x (my trans orange Surfcaster 12) should be a '91
Latest serial# is 3877xx (sunburst C-tail on ebay last week) should be a '95

Anyone have a guitar outside that range- surfcaster or not?

[RacerX]

Yeah, looks like you are the designated Surfcaster serial # expert! Have you looked at audiozone.dk yet?

[SignoftheDragon]

Yep- I've searched Henrik's stuff, but his site drops off coverage after the model series. Highest serial number on his site is 321475, and even that is an outlier. That leaves me with 40,000 instruments between the Models and my earliest Surfy- assuming that the transition between Ft. Worth and blank plates was sequential.