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first time i played a charvel, it was 1981, december. i lived in san diego, and must have been at guitar center or something like it. i remember it like yesterday. i layed away a hot wheels flame maple neck single hum vintage trem guitar. it was simply the BEST guitar i had ever played in my life.
then, i couldn't afford it, so i had to settle for something lesser. i remember being struck by the fact that the charvel was more expensive than either a new les paul or a new strat...
two year later, i am in tampa. lucky for me, thoroughbred music became one of the biggest charvel jackson dealers. i first bought a strathead neck for my kramer pacer (i actually had the first floyd rose in florida back then on that kramer pacer...it originally came with the fugly ROCKINGER trem, but was sent back to the factory for the floyd install, i still have that guitar body and that floyd.) My charvel strathead neck is still floating around tampa somewhere on a REALLY ugly lime green strat body with holes drilled in it. i'd love to find that guitar again just for the neck..
next up i bought a beautiful SD Charvel pointy, rosewood board, one humbucker, vintage trem, in a super cool candy blue with diagonal white stripes. i saw a strathead with a similar finish in the jackson museum, but it was red/white. this guitar got traded in, and allegedly got all buggered up with a kahler, etc...may still be around here, but i've never seen it online in any of the major collections...
then in the late 80's, i started getting a little crazier. i had a sunkist orange soloist custom, a "dweezil green" jackson bolt on with maple neck, a VERY unusual pink/powder blue snakeskin bolt on jackosn with maple neck, a custom ordered solid mahogany TYE DYE soloist custom (sounded great, but was heavy), and quite a few others. for many years, i would just pick up the pointy head charvels for around $500, and sell them to a friend. he amassed quite a collection of them over the years.
i did indeed own the infamous Jeff Beck Hot Wheels flame guitar for a year or so. it was just too damn heavy with that maple body. i think i begain to run into guys like Al Z back in the early 90's, and was trying to find my elusive maple neck HRF guitar from back in the day. i also owned a very sought after charvel (although i didn't know it, and sold it to a dealer for $700)...this turquoise/blue strathead, that had a solid mahogany neck, and the elusive double logo (gold on black logos offset). this guitar was amazing, but had a VERY tiny neck, very slim and thin. played great...i have tried to find this guitar through the dealer i sold it to, but no luck at all....
down here in soth florida, we are lucky that there were several dealers in the state who ordered a lot of guitars. thoroughbred music was amazing....they would sit there and dream up custom orders, and really brought some great charvel jackson guitars down here. and there are several collectors here who have been picking them up little by little.
i've had over 50 charvel jacksons so far, and show no signs of stopping.
if i could have my wish, i would order a simple, hot wheels flame graphic, unfinished classic 1982 maple neck, two hums (creme coils of course), brass hw, vintage trem, les paul style switch. and it would have to be the really good hot wheels flame, like the jeff beck. that finish has to be seen in person. i have noticed that since that guitar has been made public years ago that the finish is appearing more and more, which is cool...i like the way they did the back side of that guitar.
now i play a soloist custom. wish i had a strathead like the rest of you. at least now that jackson/charvel is part of FMIC, they can legally use the strat headstock!
i still feel kinda weird stepping out onstage with a soloist...the whole "pointy headstock shredfest" image...but the guitars are capable of anything you play on them...they (the soloists) don't do sloppy too well though!
what a long strange trip it's been. i might not have been there to see the 50's strats in the stores, but i WAS THERE to see a wall full of new stratheads for sale, play them all, lay one away.....and sadly had to give it up. been seeking it ever since. i could swear i have seen CC Deville with that exact guitar...who knows?
then, i couldn't afford it, so i had to settle for something lesser. i remember being struck by the fact that the charvel was more expensive than either a new les paul or a new strat...
two year later, i am in tampa. lucky for me, thoroughbred music became one of the biggest charvel jackson dealers. i first bought a strathead neck for my kramer pacer (i actually had the first floyd rose in florida back then on that kramer pacer...it originally came with the fugly ROCKINGER trem, but was sent back to the factory for the floyd install, i still have that guitar body and that floyd.) My charvel strathead neck is still floating around tampa somewhere on a REALLY ugly lime green strat body with holes drilled in it. i'd love to find that guitar again just for the neck..
next up i bought a beautiful SD Charvel pointy, rosewood board, one humbucker, vintage trem, in a super cool candy blue with diagonal white stripes. i saw a strathead with a similar finish in the jackson museum, but it was red/white. this guitar got traded in, and allegedly got all buggered up with a kahler, etc...may still be around here, but i've never seen it online in any of the major collections...
then in the late 80's, i started getting a little crazier. i had a sunkist orange soloist custom, a "dweezil green" jackson bolt on with maple neck, a VERY unusual pink/powder blue snakeskin bolt on jackosn with maple neck, a custom ordered solid mahogany TYE DYE soloist custom (sounded great, but was heavy), and quite a few others. for many years, i would just pick up the pointy head charvels for around $500, and sell them to a friend. he amassed quite a collection of them over the years.
i did indeed own the infamous Jeff Beck Hot Wheels flame guitar for a year or so. it was just too damn heavy with that maple body. i think i begain to run into guys like Al Z back in the early 90's, and was trying to find my elusive maple neck HRF guitar from back in the day. i also owned a very sought after charvel (although i didn't know it, and sold it to a dealer for $700)...this turquoise/blue strathead, that had a solid mahogany neck, and the elusive double logo (gold on black logos offset). this guitar was amazing, but had a VERY tiny neck, very slim and thin. played great...i have tried to find this guitar through the dealer i sold it to, but no luck at all....
down here in soth florida, we are lucky that there were several dealers in the state who ordered a lot of guitars. thoroughbred music was amazing....they would sit there and dream up custom orders, and really brought some great charvel jackson guitars down here. and there are several collectors here who have been picking them up little by little.
i've had over 50 charvel jacksons so far, and show no signs of stopping.
if i could have my wish, i would order a simple, hot wheels flame graphic, unfinished classic 1982 maple neck, two hums (creme coils of course), brass hw, vintage trem, les paul style switch. and it would have to be the really good hot wheels flame, like the jeff beck. that finish has to be seen in person. i have noticed that since that guitar has been made public years ago that the finish is appearing more and more, which is cool...i like the way they did the back side of that guitar.
now i play a soloist custom. wish i had a strathead like the rest of you. at least now that jackson/charvel is part of FMIC, they can legally use the strat headstock!
i still feel kinda weird stepping out onstage with a soloist...the whole "pointy headstock shredfest" image...but the guitars are capable of anything you play on them...they (the soloists) don't do sloppy too well though!
what a long strange trip it's been. i might not have been there to see the 50's strats in the stores, but i WAS THERE to see a wall full of new stratheads for sale, play them all, lay one away.....and sadly had to give it up. been seeking it ever since. i could swear i have seen CC Deville with that exact guitar...who knows?
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