Thoughts?

[Guitar God]

Came across this on a Charvel group on Facebook. Apparently it's a custom order. Neat, but for sure an odd pickup configuration with single coils in the bridge and neck and a humbucker in the middle. Thought I'd share.

https://reverb.com/item/4042925-charvel-1984-custom-built-electric-with-stratocaster-style-body

[bombtek]

Yeah that is a weird config. Still a cool looking guitar with every single other appointment pretty desirable. If I had money to throw away, I'd get it, see how it sounds and plays as is, all the while with the reservation that I'd probably be throwing a pickguard on it and make it look proper.

[phragle]

Maybe Im hallucinating, but the neck plate looks to have had a rough life, yet the guitar looks pristine.... Doesn't seem to match.

[Axewielder]

My initial thought was that it may have been originally painted, then stripped and oiled (as has been done many times). But not with a walnut body, it would have just been alder or poplar or something more common for the time if that were the case. Definite oddball.

[Guitar God]

Yeah that is a weird config. Still a cool looking guitar with every single other appointment pretty desirable. If I had money to throw away, I'd get it, see how it sounds and plays as is, all the while with the reservation that I'd probably be throwing a pickguard on it and make it look proper.

I'm very curious to how it sounds. Especially with the odd pickup configuration. Ahh, I'd leave it be if it were mine for the fact that it was a custom order - if legit.

[Guitar God]

Maybe Im hallucinating, but the neck plate looks to have had a rough life, yet the guitar looks pristine.... Doesn't seem to match.

Looks fine in the 2nd picture in the sunlight.

[Guitar God]

My initial thought was that it may have been originally painted, then stripped and oiled (as has been done many times). But not with a walnut body, it would have just been alder or poplar or something more common for the time if that were the case. Definite oddball.

For sure an oddball, especially with the pickup configuration. But, the ad/seller states it was a custom made to order model, so I guess that covers the wood.

[Axewielder]

I didn't even know "SHS" was a thing.

[Guitar God]

I didn't even know "SHS" was a thing.

I guess anything is possibly. Very odd, but I'm very curious to how it sounds with that configuration.

[Johnnyryche]

Definitely an odd pickup configuration. When I first saw it, I was wondering about the pickup routes for the single coils. I've always thought that the early SD models had straight, lipstick style routes and it wasn't until around '86 that the tab style routes started. I'm not a Charvel expert by any means and I know with everything being a custom order back then that anything is possible. So maybe someone else can chime in about the routes. I was looking through my pic library and came across another Charvel SD strat that looks to be made of walnut. It has a sss configuration. Any chance the one on Reverb started off as a sss and someone had a pro mod it to add a hum? Just a thought.

[shreddermon]

Yeah, I was thinking it might be a 3 TITE original, later modified to that weird SHS layout. And agree the body and hardware just look too clean for its age. Not confident this isn't a parts mutt. I can't recall ever seeing another pointyhead with a "butchers block" natural body like that, which mostly faded out after the very early (pre-pointy) SD days. Anything is possible in Charvel land, though - but many things aren't necessarily probable, either. LOL

[CaptNasty]

Even as a custom shop, should there be “Made in USA” under the Charvel logo? Blowing the pic up, I cannot see where that is on the logo. Also note that there is no close up of the headstock in the set of photos. Coincidence?

[j2379]

I asked for more pics about a week ago & haven't gotten 1. my guess is he's either not telling the whole story, or is too lazy to remove 3 screws to possibly sell the guitar. & oil finished guitar get dirty fast, so unless it was striped or a queen for 30+ years id expect some signs of wear.

[xenophobe]

Agree, walnut would not look minty with a 34 year old oil finish.

I highly doubt the bizarre middle humbucker was original.

It's at $1295 for who knows how long, it's been listed for 9 months and it's still sitting there? With all the "in the know" guys out there... nobody is touching it. At best I'd say it was worth parts-guitar price. Proof it's even real would be nice. lol

I'd pass, something more worth your money will soon reveal itself to you.

[pancake]

So I bought this one a few weeks ago. Made a silly low ball offer and it got accepted. The seller was the original owner and had custom ordered it. It's 100% original with no modifications. Pickup routs are original, neck and pocket numbers all check out etc... It's basically been sitting in the case untouched since '84. Super cool guitar! Plays great and the weird pickup combo is actually really cool.