'88? Charvel Spectrum Guitar Question!!

[Texsunburst59]

Hello I'm new here and I've got a question on a guitar I want to purchase. I've found a Black w/ white pick guard Charvel Spectrum in a pawnshop and I'm not sure if I should snag it or not. First of all it's got nicks and scratches on the body which I would put at 6.5/10. The neck is about a 8.5/10. The neck and middle pickups are original but the bridge has been changed to some full size humbucker. I plugged the guitar in and I couldn't get a sound out of it. I noticed it has a small toggle switch on body. Is it an active guitar and the battery is dead? Anyway they're asking $162 out the door. Is it a Meh... kinda deal for that price? I really liked the neck on it A LOT. I would've liked to hear what it sounds like,but I guess I can't. I'd sure like the experts advice on this one. Thanks in advance.

[dg]

Yep, it has an active system (JE-1500, iirc), so you won't get anything without a good battery. I'd grab it at that price. Even if the electronics are dead, that's not a bad deal. Lots of people swap the original pickups out anyway, because the J200s aren't very good.

[VitaminG]

for that price, I'd pick it up for sure. Electronics can be fixed/swapped

fwiw, it's a Japanese guitar, not US

[DonP]

Yep, it has an active system (JE-1500, iirc), so you won't get anything without a good battery. I'd grab it at that price. Even if the electronics are dead, that's not a bad deal. Lots of people swap the original pickups out anyway, because the J200s aren't very good.

The JE-1500 has a full bypass so that it can work without a battery.

$162 is a great deal, but try to get it cheaper.

[Texsunburst59]

Thanks for the info guys. I tried the $120 out the door and they would not budge. They said for right now the least they'd take would be $150 + tax. I guess I can still go back again and hit some other salesperson up for the $150 out the door and see what happens.

[jacksonaxes]

Take it.

[Flanging_Fred]

The JE-1500 has a full bypass so that it can work without a battery.

Not on mine it doesn't. Dead battery = no sound.