Charvel Avenger opinions

[cdwillis]

What do you guys think about the Avenger? I've only seen a couple on Ebay, how rare are they? I'm interested because my favorite pickup setup is H/S. I wouldn't mind picking up one on the cheap eventually.

[RobRR]

Ive got a couple and I love them. GREAT players, but the stock puckups BLOW. The stock bridge is a Schaller speed loader... you can put Floyd or Schaller locking saddles on there and you then have a JT590/Schaller!

[Sunbane]

The stock bridge is a Schaller speed loader...

Errr...you did mean "single locking piece o' shit trem" right? Calling it a "Schaller Speedloader" is being beyond generous.

[RobRR]

Actually, they arent bad trems... no more unstable than a Kahler if done right. The thing with ANY single locking trem is to solder the ball ends. Regardless though, throw some locking saddles on it and you now have an awesome trem!

[Jackson-Charvel]

Is it the same baseplate and block as a JT-590 though, and not like the difference between the OFR on Kramer Focuses and the crappier (cheaper metal) Floyd Rose non-locking trem on the Kramer Strikers?

[RobRR]

Same base and block as the 590.

[Norton]

Any pictures?

[RobRR]

Of the bridge or an Avenger?

[delt]

Avenger rhoads body is great for project guitars. (but you have to modify it a LOT) hmm, next, ....

[cdwillis]

I've read that people didn't like the bridge pickup (or pickups I guess you could say) because they were just two single coils side by side instead of an actual humbucker. Is that for real?

[jrnic]

I just saw one yesterday at a local Guitar Center. Priced a little too high I think. It was going for $299. Not bad condition but it does need work. I'll have to wait it out, maybe they will see that it is not selling and drop the price a bit. That or I have to haggle it down! I once saw a Charvel 375 there for a few months listed for $299 and then it went down to $139! That's when I bought it.

BTW it was not the type with the 2 singles in the bridge position. It had the blade humbucker angled in a pickup ring.

[dg]

I've read that people didn't like the bridge pickup (or pickups I guess you could say) because they were just two single coils side by side instead of an actual humbucker. Is that for real?

Yep. Here's the catalog scan:

http://audiozone.dk/cm/displayimage....678&fullsize=1

It's not too hard to mod it & put a humbucker in it. That's what somebody did to the one jrnc saw at GC.

[ihocky2]

A lot of people seem to replace the dual single coils with a humbucker. It is not hard to do, but you have to take the pickup ring off and take a look at the job they did. If it is someone with half a brain there will be a nice clean job for the routing. If you get some schmuck who just went hacking away it can be pretty bad.

[RobRR]

The later Avengers actually came stock with that blade humbucker pickup. That and a shitty JT580LP style rout as opposed to the Schaller.

[Jackson-Charvel]

ROBRR is correct I have a later Avenger with the angled J-85 rails in the bridge and the angled baseplate JT580 trem. I found a scalloped Blue Spectrum neck that is waiting to be installed on it. Too many projects lol.