Cali vs. Caparison

[VECTOR]

Hello HFCer,

Did anyone here compare a Californian with a Caparison Horus? The specs seem quite similar...(except the two- piece maple body Calis ). Is it a knock off or a complete different (sounding) guitar? 

[Travis]

45 minutes ago, VECTOR said:

Hello HFCer,

Did anyone here compare a Californian with a Caparison Horus? The specs seem quite similar...(except the two- piece maple body Calis ). Is it a knock off or a complete different (sounding) guitar? 

I had a Cali standard years ago, mahogany body with bolt on maple neck. And I noodled around with a Caparison at Sweetwater a few months ago. Other than pickup layout and angled fretboard, they’re not that similar. Felt completely different from one another.

The Caparison guitars were started by the group of Japanese builders who were making the Jackson/Charvel guitars for a while. When J/C pulled out of that factory the staff stuck around and started their own company. The Caparison guitars are impeccable instruments and the attention to detail is top notch. From a feel perspective, it felt way more similar to my Charvel 650xl which makes sense, because it was made in the same factory, albeit 30 years earlier...

The neck specs on my old Cali were very different. From what I remember it had a narrower nut and a rounder (tho not thick) neck carve. The Caparison felt like my Charvel with a wider nut and flat back shape with slightly rounded shoulders. Way more substantial than an Ibanez Wizard neck. 

[diablo175]

Caparisons are also short scale. Otherwise I'd have acquired one by now.

 

[Travis]

17 minutes ago, diablo175 said:

Caparisons are also short scale. Otherwise I'd have acquired one by now.

 

The Horus is short scale. Some of the others are 25.5” like the Dellinger and the TAT. If you want the 27 frets and 25.5” scale, then the TAT is what you’d want. 

[scottcald]

I played a couple at GearFest a couple years ago and they were great guitars.  Definitely their own thing.