Some help about my new Charvel San Dimas Koa

[deep_purple]

Hi guys

I just recieved my Charvel San Dimas Koa a few days ago. I'm from Turkey, and the only Charvels we get to see are old japanese ones, going for pretty high prices considering the us market. I was looking for a Koa guitar on ebay and I found a San Dimas Koa and bought it. It's a real beauty!! It looks great, it's surprisingly in mint condition, and sounds great.

I looked for some info about this guitar on the net but they all seem to vary from each other, and I think these instruments don't have serial numbers that you can just look and find out the model/year/etc.

The ebay page for the item is still active, although the auction ended. So here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=001

Could you tell me if the info on the page is correct? I mean it's obvious it's a Koa and the pickups are right but on some other I read that it has a Pau Ferro neck. I think it's rosewood, as mentioned in the page I put the link. Is it really made in 1995? What do you think of the price? Is it what these guitars actually go for? In short I'm looking for any info about my guitar

Thanks, hoping to hear from you guys!

P.S: you have a lovely forum, I think I'll be an addict to the forum AND charvels!!

[jackson1]

Because of the Jackson neck plate, I'd say this is a very early 1995 San Dimas I. It seems that the serial starts with "00" (?) and I've never seen that before. Normally they start with 95 or 96 (on Charvel labeled plates anyway).

Pickups should be DiMarzio custom humbuckers, as far as I know. These SD Series guitars are practically all over the map regarding features and specs. They vary a lot but the description seems okay to me. I think you got the real deal.

[neilli]

I have a very similar guitar - that looks like a very nice piece of Koa, with a hint of flame to it.

Henrik is correct in that it's an early SD1 (these had 3-D Jackson neckplates and a 5-way blade switch instead of a 3 way toggle). I don't recall the wood of the fingerboard, but I guess it could well be pau ferro.

Your guitar has had a pickup swap, but the original pickups were listed as 'custom DiMarzios' though I've been told they were actually Tone-Zones...

[deep_purple]

Henrik, the serial number is ''002027''. Would this help you for any other info?

Neilli, I thought it was rosewood but that thing I read really confused me. If they're tone zones, then I'm pretty lucky because I like SDs better than DiMarzios and thinking of DiMarzios I don't like tone zone at all.

Thanks again!

[neilli]

Here's a link to Henrik's catalogue scan:

http://www.audiozone.dk/CatalogScans/Ch1995SanDimas/pages/Ch1995SanDimas04.htm

Mine's 002107. Also, the early guitars had Schaller Floyds (short string bolts) but the main production guitars had OFRs (also made by Schaller)..

[deep_purple]

So I guess mine is an earlier made one, as I think it's the Schaller Floyd you're referring to, it also says Jackson on the floyd rose.

[jackson1]

Henrik, the serial number is ''002027''. Would this help you for any other info?

Not to me, no. JCF member SanDimasCharvel has previously had some pretty cool info on the SD Series. For example: a total of 378 SD I's were made. He would probably say that yours was built in 1994

[deep_purple]

I searched the forum but couldn't find anything written by SanDimasCharvel about this stuff. Could you tell me where it is? Or should I p.m. him?

[Genebaby]

Looking at the guitar specs I too would say it's a 94. The earliest ones built in 94 featured your guitars specs. Schaller Floyd, Jackson neckplate with cutout, skunk stripe on the neck so truss rod access is via the heel. In 95 they got their Charvel neckplates and lost the neckplate cutout and also lost the skunk stripe, so truss rod access was at the headstock. Early 95's still had the 5way switch, but later ones seemed to come with the 3way toggle.

Great guitar you have there. Price wise I think you did great because they are superbly crafted guitars made of excellent materials. You can't go wrong and I love my Koa SDI.

[kmanick]

Nice guitar, I like the early ones with the Jackson plates.
I've come real close to pulling the trigger on one of these a few times.
Price wise you did great.
Nice guitars, enjoy!

[deep_purple]

thanks a lot guys! I only wish the truss rod was on the upper neck, now I have to take it to my tech so that he can adjust it. I think I should save some money for another one

[Norton]

Welcome to the forum! Good to see some interest to USA Charvels from Turkey .

[levantin]

Hoşgeldin Dostum, gitar hayırlı olsun. Burda giderek çoğalıyoruz

[jackson1]

lev beat me to it.

[max]

Hoşgeldin Dostum, gitar hayırlı olsun. Burda giderek çoğalıyoruz

Thats exactly what I was thinking.