My 86 Charvel for a RR1. Is it a good trade?

[CKJ]

"I did the Trade and Im happy".

That is what he said.

The one sentence I miss... plus I didn't pay attention to the date jump there.

Kudos to him, its kinda like going from an automatic to a stick in a car IMO. Takes some getting used to but once you get used to it its a whole different animal.

[veniculum]

To reply to Todd, I customized it over 2 decades ago, Ive totally changed my skill level and likes and sure in a perfect world just keep it. Well, Ive already cleaned out the house over the last year for things to sell and thats actually how I ended up with my ESP KH-2, and that is now my "goto war" weapon, so the Charvel lost its luster as a "Ill never sell it" once I got the KH, ESP really did well on the KH that I acquired.
I did the Trade and Im happy, and as the post above say's I actually feel like I made out much better. The RR does take a bit of getting used to when standing as it tends to lean forward but let me run down the list of upgrades the RR came with; The previous owner put a Steinberger leg rest on it and it works great while sitting which I do a lot, theres a brass block on the Floyd, EMG 81 and 85 tapped to 18v, and a really nice touch was only one volume and one tone getting the badly placed 2nd volume knob out of the way and has a new cover so no crappy filler fix job, and lastly it came to me in truly mint condition, not a nick on her and I have to say it has the lowest action of any guitar Ive ever seen or played, so much so that Im raising it a bit. Easily the RR will fetch the high end of $1400+ if Im patient and ever want to flip it. The only downs are I don't like the painted neck and its black (as bad ass as black is, I like to see the shape of my guitars and black makes that hard) and would like to have 24 frets. So in the end I havent regretted anything, granted Ive got a new San Dimas as well filling the gap of any possible loss I might of had. I do appreciate everyones opinions.
On a side note, Ive been hearing rumbles about the EVH Charvels not being a huge step above the regular San Dimas pro mods, anyone have knowledge about how the fit and finish is on them?

Thanks for the reply to my reply. I certainly respect your opinion. All I wanted to do was share my experience. I'm a gun collector too...and a couple years ago, I was seriously thinking of selling my very first Beretta (96). At the time, my wife said to me..."you know you're going to regret selling that one day". And I took her advise. Sure enough, enough time went by and I started taking an interest in that gun again. Nowadays, I can't thank my wife enough for keeping me in check.
Perhaps I'm a bit biased in this case. I'm a little older...I make a little more money than I did when I first started playing and collecting (quality) guitars...so perhaps a grand to me may not be what a grand is to someone else. I just keep going back to 3 guitars that I sold..all within a couple months time...the Ibanez I could give a sh*t about....but I miss the Charvel....and I truly feel bad about getting rid of my Kramer. It was the first 'good' guitar I ever owned. It was given to me by my parents for Christmas when I was like 15...and I swore I'd never get rid of it. In the end, I sold it for much less than I thought I would initially get for it. And in the end, it's one of those things that I really wish I never got rid of.
So I just like to share my experience with those in the same spot I was in.
Here's a pic of the three guitars in question. I own none of them now...I've replaced them (as well as a few lesser guitars) with the guitars in the second pic. But I'll tell you...I'd sure love to call the guy who I sold that Kramer to and beg him to sell it back to me.
Good luck man...I'm sure you'll do whatever works best for you.

[Balou]

I'd start a new thread - no one is going to see this.

Back on topic, How do you like the RR neck compared to the Charvel? This is a main reason I'd do the swap. I hate how fat the neck is on my '98 SG Std, but the guitar sounds awesome so I keep it. I'd probably play it more if it had a thinner neck.

The problem before hand being with all the gear I own is I didnt have a chance to handle or compare in person the RR or any of the guitars Ive gotten in the last couple years. I would certainly choose the Charvel neck over the RR now that I have it but thats not saying the RR neck isnt nice. I prefer a natural unfinished neck as a general rule, the RR's painted neck is a bit larger overall compared to the Charvel, feels thicker and wider, its very nice but the painted neck really does slow you down, I dont care who you are, a natural neck has always felt and played very noticeably faster to me. The Action , as I mentioned in a earlier post, is insanely low and without a peep of buzz but is so low that its robbing the strings of freedom and Im gonna raise it slightly when I change the strings. Im not sure if its the brass block or just the RR as a whole but It has a very pronounced tone which jumps out at you.

[Balou]

I don't know if this has been said yet since i skimmed through the replies but here's my two pennies.

What I have found in my experience of people who are used to playing a strat style body, they absolutely hate playing a RR body. Me personally, growing up playing a Jackson RR from the start I personally hate playing a strat body style. I have owned 2 Jackson strat bodies, a beautiful immaculate SL3, and currently a DR7 7 string. I sold the SL3 to a friend and have owned the 7 string for maybe 2 months max and i'm already thinking about selling it because I hate the way they feel.

So if I were you, i'd try a Jackson V at a music store to get a good feel for it before you dive into something you wish you hadn't have done.

I would agree with that. Its a whole different animal in terms of how it hangs and the upper wing takes some getting used to.

[Balou]

Funny, Im searching gun listings as Im reading your reply. Im in that same state of mind but I'll be up front in saying like i posted yesterday, Ive grown closer to my ESP them I ever was to my Charvel. Im now dealing with this same issue on whether to keep one of my handguns that turns out to be worth $800 now and I picked it up for $325ish back in the late 90's ( Colt Government .380 MK IV series 80). I could get a couple new Glocks for that kind of coinage, but that colt is a super conceal carry, I just dont trust the feed and 7 rounds takes away options. But this isnt about guns so ... I live with my decisions and usually I come out better off. And as long as this thread is getting you can see that Ive taken the time to access the situation.
Now lets just hope Obama doesn't do anything stupid like try to take away my AR-15 and friends. And I think its high time I try a Les Paul and see what all the fuss is about, The RR could get me a really nice one of those.

[veniculum]

Funny, Im searching gun listings as Im reading your reply. Im in that same state of mind but I'll be up front in saying like i posted yesterday, Ive grown closer to my ESP them I ever was to my Charvel. Im now dealing with this same issue on whether to keep one of my handguns that turns out to be worth $800 now and I picked it up for $325ish back in the late 90's ( Colt Government .380 MK IV series 80). I could get a couple new Glocks for that kind of coinage, but that colt is a super conceal carry, I just dont trust the feed and 7 rounds takes away options. But this isnt about guns so ... I live with my decisions and usually I come out better off. And as long as this thread is getting you can see that Ive taken the time to access the situation.
Now lets just hope Obama doesn't do anything stupid like try to take away my AR-15 and friends. And I think its high time I try a Les Paul and see what all the fuss is about, The RR could get me a really nice one of those.

I aint gonna argue about picking up a glock or two ...you either love 'em or hate 'em...I LOVE them.

I went down the Les Paul road back 6 months ago. I always wanted one, but didn't have the coin for that...at least not for one that was worthy of my money. The studio models just didn't do it for me...the Standards were great, but they would've emptied my wallet quick. In the end, I chose to empty my wallet a couple months back...much to the dismay of the fun police. Of course, when she gets a job, she can have a say...I'm really diggin the Rhoads Concord re-issue...course, 12K+ is a little out of my budget

Todd

[RR05xx]

Reading all this, I think you probably did the right thing with the trade. Rosewood kalhered Charvels show up on the bay all the time and are available for a reasonable price well under $1k (for people that actually want to sell them). White is not uncommon.

Start saving and grab one in a few months to combat the sellers remorse that will kick in for sure.

[sully]

I glanced over most of the replies, and I'd say you got the much better end of the bargain. Most pointies don't get as much on ebay as they used to, and a Kahlered pointy with a refinned body with a Queensryche graphic (or was it a sticker?) and added holes bring the value down, IMO.

I hope you enjoy the Rhoads; I would have done it, too.

Sully