Info on this early USA Charvel Pre Pro 21 fret neck with MIJ DiMarzio Body

[Exhead]

Picked this up recently and it seems highly collectible and wanted so far from a couple guys. Going to meet a guy locally who really knows his stuff tonight.

What I think I have learned so far.

Neck: 1981 USA Charvel Made 12" Radius, purple heart plug, truss rod adjust at heel of neck. Neck numbered 342 / 3. Pre pro neck with 21 frets.
Body: 1981 MIJ by ESP for Dimarzio "Woodburn" Creamy White Body, no additional screw holes in guitar body, assume original pickguard and back plate.
Pickups: 1979 EMG SA with SPC at 2nd tone pot location.

Open to correction on any of this.

WHAT SAY YOU GUYS? Value?

Directory of photos

Teaser Photo

[john.w.lawson]

Picked this up recently and it seems highly collectible and wanted so far from a couple guys. Going to meet a guy locally who really knows his stuff tonight.

What I think I have learned so far.

Neck: 1981 USA Charvel Made 12" Radius, purple heart plug, truss rod adjust at heel of neck. Neck numbered 342 / 3. Pre pro neck with 21 frets.
Body: 1981 MIJ by ESP for Dimarzio "Woodburn" Creamy White Body, no additional screw holes in guitar body, assume original pickguard and back plate.
Pickups: 1979 EMG SA with SPC at 2nd tone pot location.

Open to correction on any of this.

WHAT SAY YOU GUYS? Value?

Directory of photos

Teaser Photo

Gonna need better pic's than that bro! I doubt it's a Charvel neck and it would be very hard to prove it's is without original build pic's.

[pianoguyy]

$50
Think about it - 40 years from today, what is a bunch of Warmoth parts going to be worth.
Well, that is essentially what you have. A bunch of old replacement parts being put together to make a complete unit.

[john.w.lawson]

Picked this up recently and it seems highly collectible and wanted so far from a couple guys. Going to meet a guy locally who really knows his stuff tonight.

What I think I have learned so far.

Neck: 1981 USA Charvel Made 12" Radius, purple heart plug, truss rod adjust at heel of neck. Neck numbered 342 / 3. Pre pro neck with 21 frets.
Body: 1981 MIJ by ESP for Dimarzio "Woodburn" Creamy White Body, no additional screw holes in guitar body, assume original pickguard and back plate.
Pickups: 1979 EMG SA with SPC at 2nd tone pot location.

Open to correction on any of this.

WHAT SAY YOU GUYS? Value?

Directory of photos

Teaser Photo

They were making pointys in 83 too

https://reverb.com/item/29548782-1983-charvel-san-dimas

[Exhead]

Gonna need better pic's than that bro! I doubt it's a Charvel neck and it would be very hard to prove it's is without original build pic's.

You must have missed the link to the pictures https://exhead.com/1981%20Chavel%20DiMarzio%20Strat/

[Exhead]

$50
Think about it - 40 years from today, what is a bunch of Warmoth parts going to be worth.
Well, that is essentially what you have. A bunch of old replacement parts being put together to make a complete unit.

I obviously came to the right place since you are comparing the 1981 Pre Pro USA Charvel 21 Fret neck with Warmoth parts....

[john.w.lawson]

I obviously came to the right place since you are comparing the 1981 Pre Pro USA Charvel 21 Fret neck with Warmoth parts....

What pianoguyy is referring to is that Jackson Charvel often used other companies bodies and necks in the earlier years. Pre-pro? They were customs back then. hot rodded fenders, worked on and with a bit of everything. Pre-pro what, imports? USA has never been call a PRO series.

Van Halen got a boogie body off them way back when? R.I.P

Van Halen bought the Frankenstrat's northern ash body and maple neck (which was a factory reject) for $130 from Wayne Charvel and Lynn Ellsworth, who sold Boogie Body bodies and necks. Van Halen was able to purchase the factory second body at a discount price of $50 due to a knot in the wood. The $80 neck had jumbo fret wire, and its truss rod was adjustable at the heel.

Jake E. Lee's 83 Charvel was a hot rodded fender he brought to them.

[paranoid]

I'm no expert, but I kinda agree with pianoguyy. even if the neck is legit, the rest are just replacement parts, most not period correct for a prepro. I did not look at all you pictures but did not see any showing the charvel mfd wood burn, or a charvel tm water slide. the numbers you did photograph on the back of the neck very well could be it, but also are easy to copy.

[Exhead]

I'm no expert, but I kinda agree with pianoguyy. even if the neck is legit, the rest are just replacement parts, most not period correct for a prepro. I did not look at all you pictures but did not see any showing the charvel mfd wood burn, or a charvel tm water slide. the numbers you did photograph on the back of the neck very well could be it, but also are easy to copy.

If the guy I bought from was trying to scam me he sure did not know what he was doing as he did not have a clue about one part of this guitar. He liked the look and the sound but had no clue about individual or collective parts.

Thanks for all your information.

[Exhead]

What pianoguyy is referring to is that Jackson Charvel often used other companies bodies and necks in the earlier years. Pre-pro? They were customs back then. hot rodded fenders, worked on and with a bit of everything. Pre-pro what, imports? USA has never been call a PRO series.

Van Halen got a boogie body off them way back when? R.I.P

Van Halen bought the Frankenstrat's northern ash body and maple neck (which was a factory reject) for $130 from Wayne Charvel and Lynn Ellsworth, who sold Boogie Body bodies and necks. Van Halen was able to purchase the factory second body at a discount price of $50 due to a knot in the wood. The $80 neck had jumbo fret wire, and its truss rod was adjustable at the heel.

Jake E. Lee's 83 Charvel was a hot rodded fender he brought to them.

Pre Production or Pres-Serialization period (Pre-Pro) before the started using serial numbers, also necks built for other companies like DiMarzio for their kit guitars. Information here

The neck mine is in series with the production series numbers of this one mine being 342/3 and the one in the link being 342/88.

[john.w.lawson]

Pre Production or Pres-Serialization period (Pre-Pro) before the started using serial numbers, also necks built for other companies like DiMarzio for their kit guitars. Information here

The neck mine is in series with the production series numbers of this one mine being 342/3 and the one in the link being 342/88.

Yeah, I read those after I posted. Sorry, I was unaware of the whole 'prepro" term. I really don't like the old strat headed charvel's, more of a pointy guy myself. Again, sorry about the prepro term instead of the correct pre-production. I would have understood it put in those terms. I've also heard there's some not so correct info on the Charvel site BUT they do say never use the words "never" or "always" which seem to be true of Charvel and Jackson stuff.

[toejam]

Boogie Bodies/Charvel would have made those old original bodies for DiMarzio. I'm not aware of any ESP involvement. Wrong tuners, wrong string tree, skunk stripe would be rosewood and not purpleheart.

Contact Tracy and see what he thinks. http://usacharvels.com/history/pg2.htm

[pianoguyy]

I obviously came to the right place since you are comparing the 1981 Pre Pro USA Charvel 21 Fret neck with Warmoth parts....

Had I said $5,000, you'd be singing our praises. It would already be on eBay touting how "experts appraised it at".
You got the right answer. Just not what you wanted to hear....

[Exhead]

Sold

[Exhead]

Boogie Bodies/Charvel would have made those old original bodies for DiMarzio. I'm not aware of any ESP involvement. Wrong tuners, wrong string tree, skunk stripe would be rosewood and not purpleheart.

Contact Tracy and see what he thinks. http://usacharvels.com/history/pg2.htm

The skunk stripe is rosewood.... The Truss plug is purple heart. You are right the tuners someone did change at one time. The string tree is accurate.