Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

[speed monkey]

So I head down to the store I used to work at to check out a 25th Anniversary Charvel the rep had dropped off for inspection...brought with me a guitar that had just showed up on my doorstep earlier from GMW with a new neck...I don't tell my buddy whats in my case - he says I have to open the one on the counter before I can see the 25th...this is what was in the case:





It was in to have a new nut installed - the original had crumbled...the guitar had been to GMW and had the Hot Rod Flames restored to the original - the previous owner thought the flames were a bit much and spray painted the guitar black...it was a V-trem originally - converted to a Kahler - back to a V by GMW...the paint is just killer up close...the neck has had a couple of sets of tuners on it..Here's a shot of 25 year apart Step Brothers...


The HRF is just dripping with vibe...the 25th is a beautiful guitar, but really different in alot of respects from the real deal....the necks were very different....body contours different...the funny thing? my new GMW neck felt damn near identical to the HRF's - like almost exact...kind of blew away the old dude working there....

Speaking of the old dude, hows this? He casually mentions the old Charvel that he bought in the early 80's from Apple Music in Portland, Or...said it was a green one that was actually featured in a Charvel Catalogue that year...says it had all these neon stripes all over the front...then says he foolishly took it to the 12th Fret and had them scallop the neck...got rid of it after that...when directed to a pic in the gallery here, he says "oh shit - thats my old guitar...." I told him the line with that guitar was that it was factory scalloped...he laughed...FWIW - this guy is as honest as they get and so randomly pulled this out of the air I can't help but believe him...

Strange days indeed.

Steve E

[shreddermon]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Cripes! So how many cool old stratheads must we be tortured with today? [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[shreddermon]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

P.S.- So what were the differences you perceived in the necks? ...One thinner / thicker than the other? Different backshape? Details, please. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[speed monkey]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Originally posted by shreddermon:
P.S.- So what were the differences you perceived in the necks? ...One thinner / thicker than the other? Different backshape? Details, please. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well - first of all, it was strictly a "feel" thing as obviously there's no nut on the HRF...The nut on the HRF is 1 3/4 vs. 1 11/16 on the 25th...the HRF was thinner, had a distinct lack of "hips" that the 25th had...the 25th felt more 'Strat' than 'shred'...also the HRF body was maple and the thing had Les Paul weight behind it...the GMW neck felt like a clone to the old HRF, the 25th felt like the best Fender Strat neck ever built - that's not a knock, just that for me anyway it was a rare opportunity to actually have those three guitars all sitting right next to each other to compare - and the GMW neck felt more like the Pre-Pro than the 25th.

The other thing that was kind of odd was that I would've thought that the 25th would've come in a super fancy case with a bunch of stuff in it, but it was pretty ordinairy actually....very cool guitar in that ordinairy case though, I would own one [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Can't say enough about the refin too - the colors just popped off that thing.

Steve E

[shreddermon]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Cool info. Thanks very much for the review. [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img] I've been very curious and waiting for someone to compare the necks on the 25th vs. an original SD.

[Oregon Jason]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

That HRF is my guitar. Too funny...What a small world. Look in the gallery under pre-pros and you'll see a green guitar with a Kahler that shows its owned by Chuck at Kickaxe guitars. That is the HRF you saw yesterday.

I was in that shop yesterday, too. Ross was trying to sell me the 25th anniversary. I passed.

Ross is very cool. The guitar he used to own...I think its the one Tim Rose used to own that AlZ owns now. Ross was the one that had it scalloped.

We need to hook up sometime.

Jason

[Oregon Jason]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

This is what the HRF looked like when I bought it 2 years ago.

http://www.jcfonline.com/gallery/cha...epro-chuck.jpg

[Oregon Jason]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

One more thing...That guitar is solid maple...That's why it wieghs so much.

Jason

[speed monkey]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Originally posted by Oregon Jason:
That HRF is my guitar. Too funny...What a small world. Look in the gallery under pre-pros and you'll see a green guitar with a Kahler that shows its owned by Chuck at Kickaxe guitars. That is the HRF you saw yesterday.

I was in that shop yesterday, too. Ross was trying to sell me the 25th anniversary. I passed.

Ross is very cool. The guitar he used to own...I think its the one Tim Rose used to own that AlZ owns now. Ross was the one that had it scalloped.

We need to hook up sometime.

Jason

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Heh...classic [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] Just goes to show how small this world is, and how the lore of these instruments perpetuates itself - see? According to Ross it was black pre - HRF...Rooster is a great guy, I've known him for years - and if he says he bought that thing from Apple I believe him...funny - I've played that scalloped one a bunch...heh.

Very cool guitar you have...and yeah, we'll have to hook up.

Steve E

[Oregon Jason]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Ross told me about that guitar of his a year ago. I told Tim Rose who owned it at the time (and he beleived me). When AlZ bought it...I told him, and he blasted me and called me a liar. AlZ apparantly doesnt care to know the truth about the guitar. Ross would have no reason to lie about it.

I have been on this board for years as TXJason, but I screwed up my password a few months back, and after no response from any of the admins to help me fix my screw up, I re-registered as Oregon Jason (where I had just moved).

I'm going back to that shop today to buy my 10 year old a mini P-Bass.

[charvel pointy head]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

I did an a/b test of my GMW HRF guitar vs. the 25th anniversary (#83) and I thought the GMW was more like you said, a clone of a SanDimas. Now I support that kind of cloning, just not the human kind. I thought the 25th was more like a really cool Fender in feel. Fact is, that laqueer on the headstock ruins it for me on that guitar. I also think that it's not the collector market (us guys) that are driving the overpriced-ness (way over priced-ness) of the 25th, its the stupid PRS world. Remember when they jacked the price on USA Jacksons a couple years ago? Guess what happened? It increased sales. I guess percieved value is everything. I'm buying more GMW's.

[speed monkey]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Originally posted by charvel pointy head:
I guess percieved value is everything. I'm buying more GMW's.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Agreed [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Steve E

[Chuckracer]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Cool day at the music store. Poor Al. Wait till he hears of this! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[kickaxeguitars]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Aay Jason, looks like you got the phenolic nut blank I sent you.
I hope all goes well on the forming..

Interestingly enough, when I owned the HRF Pre Pro (of course it had the Kahler and was green)
I thought of it as the nicest neck I ever played.
I have yet to play another identical-Not GMW, Wayne or even another Charvel.

It just so happens that neck is IDENTICAL in every measurment to Eddie Van halen's S- Head neck.

Also, I sent that neck off to a Jackson employee friend of mine to take all the measurements and be ready to clone that neck if I ever get up the cheddar for a couple customs.

Jason, it looks great!

And to the rest of you who don't know the story behind Jason's HRF that guitar was orignally a HRF just like Jason restored it.
It was painted over and Kahlered in the mid 80's..

and Jason rescued it from me and restored her back to original.

[Oregon Jason]

Re: Mind warp at the music store: 25th vs. Pre-Pro vs. GMW

Chuck..

Thanks for the nut. That is exactly why its at the guitar shop. The guy working on the guitar (im not sure if he's the owner or not, Steve would know) was a Charvel guy back in the day. He claims he was the original owner of the guitar that Al has now that has a scalloped fret board. he also claims he was the one who had a local shop do the scallop job in the early 80s.

It is amazing what a small world it is.

Thanks again for selling me that guitar. I love it.

Jason