What came first....

[gtrbuyer]

I was talking to my bud Blood Splatter (Chuck) yesterday and he raised a great point. What came first for most of us Charevl enthusaists, was it the guitars or the internet community. That is did we have Charvels (or love them because of our idols) before we discovered online boards that fueled our addictions?

Me a bit of both. I was always a Gibson man (or Gretsch) in college but I was lucky enough to start getting into graphics (ESP, Kramer, Jacksons) in the mid 90's and stumbled across a cool Charvel. Did not know much about them other than from MTV viewing but feel in love with them. Eventually I acquired a few more and they quickly became my faves and the rest is history.

So for me it was internet same time as finding about these cool guitars.

How about you guys...there is a lot of info now available thanks to Rob lane, Rob Witte and others sites and of course the boards so it attracts new people.

[Brad]

Re: What came first....

For me, it was the guitar. When I was 14 back in 1986 my Grandmother bought me my first "real" guitar with the help of my Dad. In other words, she gave him a check to go with me and pick one out. It happend to be a brand new Model 3A. BUT, after having found you guys and the forum, My fire for Charvel/Jackson has definitely been fueled. I have bought 8 or 9 over the past year and a half. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: What came first....

It was the guitars to a degree for me, as in, I loved what I saw, but since I'm a lot younger than most of you guys, I didn't get to see a whole lot. When I discovered Bret's old site and messageboard, along with Rob, Ralph, Larry,and Robb's sites I saw way more Charvels and Jacksons than I could've seen before. So seeing the guitars with bands and in stores and catalogs themselves kinda was the spark, and the community made the flame explode and keep burning.

[Firebird V]

Re: What came first....

Guitars first for me too.

[Ralph E.]

Re: What came first....

For me it was pre internet.

I was sick back in 1997, and was bored sitting around the house, and it dawned on me that it would be cool to have a guitar similiar to jake e lee.

How hard could it be to find a strathead Charvel? [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

So I began the process of trying to find one (my wife stills makes fun of me, I always said back then, "I just want one") and found out that it was more difficult than I thought.

Of course, my first one was a fake, bought it for $1000, and sold it for $300 cause I didn't misrepresent it.

The first person who I ever talked to was Kevin Maynard (i'm forever grateful), and he was kind enough to enlighten my naive ass to who the right people were to talk to, and give me a little background on the Charvel/Jackson community.

Then came Robb Lane, and soon I had my own web site up w/Larry and Bret. Those were good times.

[shreddermon]

Re: What came first....

Definitely guitars first. I started playing in the late 70s / early 80s. I later saved up my weak earnings from a PT job in high school and, with a little help from my family, ordered my first custom Jackson in '86. I wanted a Charvel, but also really wanted to try the (then new and rare) neck-through thing. So I got a Soloist.

But it was the internet that helped re-flame my interests. Honestly, I put the guitar down for a few years while going through college. A while after graduating, I got back into it for fun. And, a while after that, I started buying an axe or two more. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] I discovered the JCF and CC not too long after then. ...And then I was toast. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

Re: What came first....

I've been into Charvels from the moment I played my first one in 82'(??)& always felt kinda like an outsider as most players around here are typical Gibson/Fender guys,for years it was this way,then after I sold a Charvel body thru E-bay,I had a talk with the buyer & he told me about these forums & I realised that I finally was NOT alone,there are other sick,demented(Hi Tommy!!) Charvel/Jackson nuts/addicts like myself out there & nothing has ever been the same!! I've always been curious if there was anyone else with a similar story so I mentioned it to Tracy,thanx for posting this Trace,much appreciated bro!! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ChucksplatterThanx,Chucksplatter

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: What came first....

Much the same as everybody else, I never knew about the internet really until I joined the military, and prior to that, I was just a player gigging around Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.

The only guitar I had for years was my Les Paul, and then I got a Charvel Model 2 in like 87 which I loved and also picked up a Peavey Vandenberg Custom to compete with the 80's metal/glam scene being in a metal cover band.

I never played a Jackson in the 80's...I never really had the chance to. Then, when I joined this board last year, I started to get back into playing again and read all the great things you guys had to say about Jackson's in general, and especially the USA models.

I bought my first Jackson USA off a JCF member, a SL-1 Soloist, and it has been downhill ever since [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

I am getting more and more Jackson's it seems, as I have scored some very nice Custom Shop models and the terrific opportunity to get in on JCF-02 as a fill in.

I am a devoted Jackson user now...I don't see that changing in the futre.

[RP]

Re: What came first....

My original interest came before the Internet, too. Seeing the Charvel or Jackson logo on stars' guitars and seeing the Charvels and Jacksons in the local music store got my initial interest going, and I bought a couple of MIJ Charvels (and, in 1988/89, I ordered a custom shop Jackson).

After my divorce in 1993, I pretty well stopped playing and eventually sold off all my guitars and other equipment.

It's only been recently that I wanted to get back into music, and I sought out information on what was available these days, only to find that the Charvels and Jacksons from the 1980s were fairly common and relatively cheap (on the used market). That led to finding this site (and some others) and learning a lot more than I ever knew about Charvel/Jackson history than I ever knew before.

Honestly, if I hadn't found this site, I don't think my interest would've come back as strong.

[j2379]

Re: What came first....

the guitars but for a while i was strictly into BCRich neck thrus. in the past i had owned charvels, hamers, deans, even a couple of other brands then i sold them all off & bought only earlier neckthru BCRichs. now that ive got my Rich collection close to complete im starting to get some other guitars ive always liked but just havnt owned in a while. SD charvels & Jacksons hopefully an early hamer or 2 real soon. I think the internet has helped & hurt me in buying an SD charvel, since i had been taken on a couple of parts mutts that were supposedly legit, now i think i have the INFO i need not to get ripped off again but its also made it where i dont think i can really afford one unless i get lucky.

[jgcable]

Re: What came first....

It's been the Charvel guitar for me since 1983.

[mudkicker]

Re: What came first....

I have been a fan since the early 80s. I could not afford a real SD so in 86 I purchased a used model 2. I have never been without a Charvel in my collection since 86. I got very involved with the early Lynch model ESPs, putting my dream of owning a real SD on the backburner. I started seeing all of these cool SD's moving on ebay back in the mid 90s and it brought back my desire to own one.
I stumbled across this board and learned as much as I could about the stratheads. When I found mine Kevin Maynard really helped me out as far as verifying if it was legit. I now want another strathead, the neck on mine feels as if it was made just for my hands. They truly are one of the greatest guitars of all time.

Brian

[peabuddy]

Re: What came first....

i got my first charvel a model 1b about 88 or 89 and have been hooked since. i still have that bass [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] but finding the jcf really put the fuel on the fire! [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[L]

Re: What came first....

I would not have owned a Charvel or Jackson if not for the internet. As a matter of fact, all of my guitars have been purchased on or through the internet.

[eddie_van_earache]

Re: What came first....

guitars of course... the internet has both made it better to be into them and made is worse at the same time