Does adding a Floyd help or hurt resale value.

[Dak]

So I won this auction at Goodwill. Charvel by Jackson CSM-1G Electric Guitar w/ Case - shopgoodwill.com. The plan was to keep the case. Take the neck off and try to add the missing piece to convert it to a Strathead and a FR nut , repaint the headstock then put it on my partscaster and sell MIM San Dimas neck that's on it since they are currently going for more than I paid. I was then going to sell the loaded Charvel body. Problem is once I got it in I really like the color and it's making me want to keep it. I hate standard Strat bridges though. I have an OFR laying around and I am debating on top mounting it. My question is if I change my mind later and sell the body will it hurt the value. Or will it not matter since these are the leas desirable mid '90s Charvels. I mean personally if I was looking for a body any non floyd would be rejected but a retrofit I would consider. What say you?

[Sunbane]

In theory, anything you do to it will hurt resale value, but as you state, it's an import and will not be worth a lot anyway. If it was me, I'd totally go ahead and do it.

[Dak]

I figure the cracks in the headstock even though they are glued and seem stable( It's tuned to Eb with 10's currently) will probably hurt it more than a Floyd retrofit. Of course I think I'm just trying to justify keeping it.

[Number Of The Priest]

Very nice wine red finish. I can see why you started falling in love with it. Given the already rough condition of the guitar and the low price you paid, I would treat the entire thing as a project or experiment, and do whatever you wanted to it without fear of resale value (including installing a Floyd and Floyd locknut).

To me, if I was looking to gain experience, the experience you will acquire in restoring the guitar and installing the Floyd/locknut would be worth the $101.00 initial investment. If the experiment fails, you have only spent $101.00 and you haven't ruined a "good / new / desirable" guitar.

In my local used market, I see botched or abandoned project guitars listing anywhere between $50 to several hundred. You could probably recoup your $101.00 investment without much trouble. There are always people out there looking for inexpensive projects.

In summary, your guitar is a good candidate for a project. Would love to see progress photos and the final result!

[Dak]

Very nice wine red finish. I can see why you started falling in love with it. Given the already rough condition of the guitar and the low price you paid, I would treat the entire thing as a project or experiment, and do whatever you wanted to it without fear of resale value (including installing a Floyd and Floyd locknut).

To me, if I was looking to gain experience, the experience you will acquire in restoring the guitar and installing the Floyd/locknut would be worth the $101.00 initial investment. If the experiment fails, you have only spent $101.00 and you haven't ruined a "good / new / desirable" guitar.

In my local used market, I see botched or abandoned project guitars listing anywhere between $50 to several hundred. You could probably recoup your $101.00 investment without much trouble. There are always people out there looking for inexpensive projects.

In summary, your guitar is a good candidate for a project. Would love to see progress photos and the final result!

Thanks, some of the scratches may polish out. That color is prettier in person than the pictures showed. It could have been beginner's luck but my partscaster started life as a MIM Fender that I put a recessed Floyd Rose Special in. I used a dremel and router attachment that turns the Dremel into a small router. It turned out pretty good, but you can tell the recess was added and not factory. Mostly due to paint mis-match. I also bought the Floyd mounting templates from Stewmac when I did that so I have them as well.I didn't have to route the nut shelf on that one since I used a different neck than the stock MIM one. I have had some success making a Floyd shelf deeper. I need to make a jig for actually cutting the shelf this time though. Anyway I'm feeling pretty good about the install being a success and my hack luthier skills could use the practice. Getting the nut right is probably my biggest concern.

I need to get an imgur or similar account as I have my partscaster project and a Charvel Fusion deluxe refinish I'd like to post pictures of. If I do this I'll take pictures along the way.

[Dak]

Little update. I still need to get that imgur account. This guitar may end up another partscaster. So I couldn't hit the pinch harmonic for the life of me on the the pre verse part of Coheed and Cambria's Welcome home. Even with the Duncan Designed HB108( Detonator) I had laying around installed. P.H. difficulty would be a deal breaker. So I was thinking about throwing it on Ebay. But the strings where a used set from another guitar so I threw a new set on and a Jackson Stealth neck I have, that I thought I didn't like because it was too thin. I like it on this guitar. Plays real nice so the project may be back on. Has a slight metallic shrillness in the distortion that I don't know where it's coming from. Almost like weird harmonics mixed in. Maybe the Floyd will take care of it. I think I will get some copper tape and shield the cavity as well see if that helps. Clean sounds good though.

[john.w.lawson]

Little update. I still need to get that imgur account. This guitar may end up another partscaster. So I couldn't hit the pinch harmonic for the life of me on the the pre verse part of Coheed and Cambria's Welcome home. Even with the Duncan Designed HB108( Detonator) I had laying around installed. P.H. difficulty would be a deal breaker. So I was thinking about throwing it on Ebay. But the strings where a used set from another guitar so I threw a new set on and a Jackson Stealth neck I have, that I thought I didn't like because it was too thin. I like it on this guitar. Plays real nice so the project may be back on. Has a slight metallic shrillness in the distortion that I don't know where it's coming from. Almost like weird harmonics mixed in. Maybe the Floyd will take care of it. I think I will get some copper tape and shield the cavity as well see if that helps. Clean sounds good though.

I'd guess it's the bridge for sure. They have shielding paint too.

[Dak]

I'd guess it's the bridge for sure. They have shielding paint too.

Maybe it's the bridge like you say. It's pretty quiet as far as hum goes. I can't remember if the pickguard is shielded but if not I'll copper tape it, and I may look into that paint to spray in the cavities.

[john.w.lawson]

Maybe it's the bridge like you say. It's pretty quiet as far as hum goes. I can't remember if the pickguard is shielded but if not I'll copper tape it, and I may look into that paint to spray in the cavities.

it's brush on. you can get it on ebay for next nothing. I like it because you don't have to pull everything all the way out, just a thought. good luck with it.