Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

[gtrbuyer]

To what degree did the guitars used by our heroes influence what you ordered/purchased? Especially curious about people who had the patience to wait for a custom order...I was always too impatient.

Me, my first guitar was "SG shaped" only because I thought AC/DC and in particular Angus looked cool, plus playing and open E chord let me play the beginning of about 40 AC/DC tunes...lol.

The first real guitar I bought (saved for) was a Les Paul Standard in 1987...yelp because Slash and Page.

Charvels, I don't buy so much to relate to a rock star per say but I am crazy for a 1 hum, graphic pointy in part because of my reaction after seeing the Round and Round Video....

[txcharvel]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

I was always a big Judas Priest fan. So when I had the opportunity to buy a Hamer I jumped on it. I sold my Charvel Model 2, my wireless, and practice amp to scrape the money together. This was around '89.

So yes, back then...what my guitar idols were playing had a big influence on what I wanted. I even had an Aria Pro Knight Warrior for a very short period of time...after seeing George Lynch on the back of Tooth And Nail [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I still have the Hamer...The Aria lasted about a month.

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

after the obvious eddie randy stuff,
i saw ratt warm up motley crue for $10.00
at the beacon theatre in new york in '84.
warren demartini all but sealed the deal with his playing and what he was playing that night that pretty much ended any speculation if there was any in the first place.
charvies are unmatched.

[~K~]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

Big ... My 1st big purchase came down to a Gibson Les Paul (triple pu) Black Beautey or a white Rhoads .. I bought the white Rohads .. and my White Strathead was because of Jake ...

[Ralph E.]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

The whole reason for getting into Charvel's back in '97 was because I wanted to find a strat like Jake E Lee's.

[Soloist1]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

I was always in love with BC Rich. My first good guitar was a NJ Warlock. First year the NJ series came out. Primarily because I liked the radical body styles. Jackson's were out of my reach back then. They were definitely on my list of cool ass guitars because of bands like Quiet Riot and guys like Randy. And Charvel was also up there. I would have to say I picked up a Jap Charvel and started playing it because I loved the Charvel's Lynch used. After I picked it up the neck had me sold. So I quickly bought a model 4. Unfortunately they don't make 'em like that anymore. But there are still a lot of nice used ones out there. I'd love to find my dream San Dimas Charvel out there in a pawn shop some day. But I have a feeling that a factory floyded factory rev pointy head one is probably a tall order that will never happen.

[shreddermon]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

I guess I've always been into Charvels and Jacksons generically. Growing up in the heyday, I loved more "stars' guitars" than I can count. They were everywhere then, and there was rarely a J/C axe that I didn't like. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Maybe a better way to put it is that I guess seeing all those cool stars' guitars made me fall in love with the J/C custom shop concept - being able to build whatever your imagination could come up with. And, hence, getting a copy of an idol's guitar - as awesome as many of them are -has been less of a priority than having what I would like built. Since it is your design, it's almost like you build a personal relationship with 'em before they're even born. That's a very cool thing, IMHO. Worth the wait.

Not to mention they're the best damn guitars on the planet. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[diablomozart]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

i owe thanks to Vai more than anyone for turning me onto charvels...there was just something special about the green meanie [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] ...could've been the way he played it tho [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ...but he was responsible for me getting into charvels...d.m.

[BLOOD SPLATTER]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

Huge influence Trace,seeing EVH in 79' on the first tour with the 1-hum black & white strat changed my life forever(& my Fender strat too!! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] !!),then when I saw the album sleeve for VHII with the black & yellow strat it was over,my Fender just wasn't good enough anymore,I had to have a Charvel!!Come to think of it,I still have to have a Charvel,nothing compares!! [img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img] !! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Chucksplatter

[86mod5]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

I always wanted a Les Paul as my first guitar because of Ace Frehley. I ended getting an Aria LP copy as my first guitar. I just mentioned this on another thread, but back in '86 I had a real LP in one hand and a Model 5 in the other. The Charvel was about $15 cheaper than the LP; I loved the way it looked and sounded and everybody back then was playing them back then. I figured I could always get a LP later down the road so I ended up getting the Charvel as my first real guitar. I finally got a Les Paul in 2002. That was a long road.

[sah5150]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

Definitely influenced me. Once I saw EVH at the California World Music festival in '79, I had to have a humbucker-equipped strat. Sold a 75 Les Paul to get the parts to build one myself. I always wanted a Charvel, but couldn't afford one until I finally got one from Guitar Center in '85. Black Pointy w/Jack Daniels label graphic (lettering in white), 1 hum, Kahler, rosewood fretboard... What a sweet plank, wish I hadn't sold it... It was my main stage guitar for a couple years. That guitar is the main reason I am on a major quest to obtain a really nice Pointy from that time period...

Steve

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

My First was Gibson Copy V in White after I saw Schenker live on huge screen at film concert hosted by local TV company when I was 14.
I had to have a V shape guitar and learn how to play.
Van Halen,Scorpions,Judas Priest,Gary Moore and MSG were huge that time.

About Charvel,When I saw the Video(Beta, not VHS) of Dio Live from Last in Line tour and Ratt's concert in 85 when I was 14.
Also a Video of Dokken "Just got lucky".
My favorite Charvel are Lynch's Orange camo Charvel and Warren's Sword.

My Real Charvel was Japanese Model 5A when I was 18.
[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Toby]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

My greatest heroes (Ritchie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen) never played Charvels, they play Fenders only. I always was in Strats, because of I love this body style the most. But even if I love the body style, in regard of playablility, conception and philosophy, the Fenders don't really meet my needs. Once in the early 1980s, I discovered a white San Dimas Charvel Strat with magenta flames and pointy head in my local store. I never heared of Charvel before. But that Charvel was 100.000.000% exactly that kind of guitar which meets my needs. Ecxellent craftsmanship, sensational playability, dreamlike feel of the oil finished neck, Superstrat conception, great sound, and custom shop philosophy. This is the reason, why I only play Charvels - not the stars, even if some of my favourites like Gary Moore and the Iron Maiden guitarist played Charvels.

[Jack Napalm]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

I have a few ESP's because of Lynch. Luckily you have all shown me the light and now I buy Jacksons.

[eaeolian]

Re: Star power-influence on buying Charvels...

I played Strat copies - and later standard Strats - in the beginning because of my original big influence, Blackmore.

Later on, the Strats got humbuckers, a la Glenn Tipton, even though I'd be hard pressed to call him a big influence. Rhoads, on the other hand, was, and I almost custom ordered a RR in '88 - but the wait was too long, and I reconsidered. I still can't play Vs, and I've owned quite a few. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Now, in the humorous department, the owner of a guitar shop once asked me: "What guitar would you want, if you could have anything? Just off the top of your head."

My answer was: "a two-hum Charvel pointy with a factory Floyd, preferrably in white." I guess all those videos did have an effect on me. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

(He didn't have one of those, but he did have a white '88 Dinky with an ebony board and factory Floyd. It's still a favorite guitar.)

I guess my answer is: not much, although nostaglia makes me want a pointy - but not at current prices.

Mike