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Originally posted by diego_inc
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Cheers
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I will scan the letter and post it in the morning.. I might have missed that - heck I miss spelled Rhoads D'OH. I will also get more info on the neck for you . I believe it was angled for a floyd - I will find out for sure for you -- Talk wih you later Diego
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"At this time the Floyd Rose bridge was basically unknown."
This explains the neck tilt being wrong....seems RR did not really want a FR...he knew that was EVHs thing..heavy trem use...
Also Grover seems to be stating that he did not yet make Floyd ready guitars, so most likely sent those requested guitars to Floyd for the installation.. until 83ish.
The Floyd Rose unit was ...yes...basically unknown...because it had not been advertised other than inteview mentions from first Randy Hansen and then EVH in 1980 and to get one would cost at least $600...
EVH got his..which was the 3rd working model that Floyd had made...1st one went to a friend of Floyd,. the 2nd to Randy Hanson..hendrix impersonator..then the EVH VHII got the 3rd in Mid 1979..
As Grover stated they were basically unknown to the public still in 1981...
There was no advertisement for them until Fernadez in 1982..and the only people who knew about them outside of the LA pros were people how read of it in the April 1980 Guitar Player magazine interview with EVH...it was then Floyd began getting calls for them.Last edited by Hossman; 02-15-2007, 12:56 AM.Comment
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Thanks for the info Hoss and Diego. I just find it hard to believe that when this Sean guy bought the guitar at NAMM that Grover or whoever sold it didn't give him the story behind it. I mean, from a sales point of view, that is a marketing tool made in heaven - "This axe was destined to be Randy's", etc....thereby jacking up the price. Did he mention how much he paid for it at the time? I can't find the damn magazine around here yet and I am dying to know what happened...Comment
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A little history.
In late December Randy flew home for Christmas and called Charvel guitars. Remember there were no Jacksons that had been made yet. It was Dec.23rd as Grover tells me. Grover was the only one at the shop everyone had gone home for the holidays when Randy called. Grover agreed to meet with Randy and they were at the shop until the early morning hours designing the white V. In fact Grover was reluctant to use the Charvel name on the V because of its radical shape. Remember Charvel guitars was struggling back then just to stay afloat, so Grover signed his last name on the head stock Jackson. Shortly after receiving the first V Randy requested a new and sleeker version of the first V. Three guitars were made. One Black non-trem V (the one we all have seen in pictures with Randy), one cream non-trem V and one black V with a tremolo. The first of the three to be completed was the black non-trem. The other 2 were not completed and Grover was waiting from Randy to see if there were any further changes to be made to the remaining two. Unfortunately Randy died in a plane crash and the other two guitars were not completed for about a year. The cream V was sold at the NAMM show on accident to a very persistent customer. Someone had asked JoAnn (Grovers wife and partner) if the guitar was for sale several times that day and finally JoAnn asked Grover and he said yes not knowing what he said yes too. He was very busy talking to buyers. The next day Grover asked where the guitar was and JoAnn said you sold it! The other V has been in Grover’s possession for all these years. It was not completed until October of 1998. This guitar was the first Jackson to have reverse inlays and only Randy Rhoads Custom V to have a Vintage tremolo. In fact the vintage tremolo was one of the reasons it was never completed. All three Randy Rhoads Custom V had a les paul style neck pitch and until the guitar was repaired it could not function with a vintage style tremolo.Comment
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Here is the letter from Grover to Rob.
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As far as I've understood it, Sean M Clegg is not the original owner. Look at him - he must have been a little kid at the time it was sold! I thought it was already established that he picked it up at a guitar store after the original owner had traded it in?Originally posted by Rhoadsfan67 View PostComment
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Sean was not the original owner. The story is here somewhere in this thread or in related threads. He bought it from the kid that actually bought it from Grover.
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Your comments
Hossman,Originally posted by Hossman View Post
What are your comments about Randy's interview in August of 1981 where he states that he was having one of the 3 guitars made with a Floyd? I have been trying to figure this out since it seems to contradict Grovers story.
"...Charvel just made me three new guitars. One is my own design plus Charvel's, which hopefully might urn out to be one of my main guitars. There's no tremolo on that one. He's making one as an experiment with Floyd Rose..."
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Great info Hoss - I knew all of that, but it was good to recap for those that didn't. The only thing I was not aware of is that this Sean dude was not the original buyer. I suppose we may never know who that was - too bad, since he could probably shed some light on what REALLY transpired that day at NAMM '83.
The real question is this: if he isn't the original buyer, and he (supposedly) doesn't know jack about Jackson guitars, how in the hell did he discover that this guitar is what it is (a legendary missing link of Jackson history)?Comment
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Well, obviously somebody clued him in
"Quiet, numbskulls, I'm broadcasting!" -Moe Howard, "Micro-Phonies" (1945)Comment
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Pretty interesting that they decided to change the neck pitch on the black one to make it work with the v-trem. I guess that kept the intent of the original build, but it seems like it would've been a less invasive mod to put a non-recessed OFR on it. Just thinking out loud, but say they found out back in '82 that they had goofed & the neck angle wouldn't work for the v-trem. I could definitely see it playing out that someone would have a lightbulb go off & say, "Hey, these new trems that Eddie is using need the neck tilt. Let's see if Randy wants to try that!" If he had lived, I'm sure RR would've been playing floyded guitars by the end of '82, and the black one could very well have been his first.Comment
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heh...even back then, they were botching custom orders.Originally posted by diego_inc;
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I think they were consulting with Floyd Rose and RR on your RR guitar Diego..
So, they set the neck tilt for a Floyd Rose Trem and were waiting for RR to decide whether or not he wanted the Floyd Rose or just the standard trem. I will find out more later this week..
The early Charvel guitars with factory Floyd or Floyd "the Man" installed Floyds, would have the 6 trem screw holes already pre-drilled and sometimes a finished and ready for shipment guitar with a Standard trem would be sent to Floyd to "remake" the guitar for a Floyd Rose Unit.
Most likey, with the Floyd Rose units at that time being $600, NOT too many were sent to Floyd. Only a slight handfull of FAMOUS ARTISTS RELATED CHARVEL GUITARS (ex.EVH,RR,MICK MARS,etc) were sent to Floyd for the prototype units. This was until about 83 when Floyds became a little less expensive and a little more easily available to the public by 83.
Charvel guitars then finally would not be drilled for standard first and remade to or added by Floyd Rose THE MAN or the Factory. I believe Prior to 82 Charvel guitars were usually built for a standard trem, then simply remade for a Floyd Unit, if the order was specifically calling for a "basically unknown" Floyd Unit.Last edited by Hossman; 02-15-2007, 07:20 PM.Comment
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I think RR was getting away from trem use by 82 because everyone was heavier into Trem use due to EVH...
I think RR was wanting to more ID himself and stray away from too much Trem use..So I believe the neck was set for a Floyd on the trem model RR of Diego's but awaiting the final decision from Randy on what to do... Standard or Floyd?.
From the interview.
"He's making one as an experiment with Floyd Rose. I found this guy in England who sets up tremolo arms. You donLast edited by Hossman; 02-15-2007, 07:38 PM.Comment
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