Interesting Charvel + A beautiful model 3a... hard decisions

[savatage]

I'm looking to get my second sava axe. I already have a 550xl so I'm not looking to spend as much this time. I've come across two guitars I like the looks of.

The first one appears to be a white 275 deluxe. The neck has a maple fingerboard and the old style Charvel logo, so I think it is not original. I also have doubts about the bridge humbucker. It's on a slant (like it should be) but it has a pickup ring around it and it looks like no Jackson pickup I've ever seen. Still, this guitar is cheap and its the style I want (white body, maple fingerboard). Ideally I'd like to have a guitar with a J90 in the bridge position.




The second guitar is a beautiful model 3a. It has two J80 pickups. It also has a rosewood fingerboard. For some reason, the headstock is white but with the old-style Charvel logo. It think it's original, and it looks pretty nice.









Any info on this guitars is appreciated!

Cheers!

[toejam]

The first one seems like a relogoed Charvette (or maybe it's just got a Model series neck), and it's got the single-locking crappy trem.

[Grandturk]

The 3a probably has a refinished headstock. Afaik - all model series had black heads and white logos.

[toejam]

The 3a probably has a refinished headstock. Afaik - all model series had black heads and white logos.

I think it's one of those guitars for the Japanese market only.

[savatage]

What's the difference between J80s and J90s? If their close I might get the 3a. The price is quite low.

[jackson1]

This one could be a 1990-91 Charvel 275 Deluxe with the bridge pup route (originally for 2xSC's) modified to hold a normal humbucker. That guitar came with the JT-570 single locking tremolo, so that makes sense. The neck on this one is swapped with a Model series neck and neck plate
And it is not a Charvette body.

What's the difference between J80s and J90s?

http://audiozone.dk/guitargallery/?c...8Page04_05.jpg

[DonP]

Both those are tempting. If both were the same price, I'd probably go 3A because the single locking trem would have to go, and the bridge pickup is an unknown.

The J80 is 13K, the J90 is 15.93K

I've been on a quest high and low trying to find a J80C for rebuilding a USA Jackson, so I've been doing a lot of research. I have a J90C in a Fusion Deluxe and it's pretty good. I could easily get thrash tones you'd expect from a Duncan Distortion or JB. Easy yo hit Megadeth / ols Metalica tones.

I've never had a J80C so I'd like to try one out. Also, this guitar I'm rebuilding has a single J100 (6.10K) in the neck, and a J90C would destroy it in output. The Fusion Deluxe has a J200R hot rail which matches up nicely with the J90C.

[savatage]

That 3a is so pretty... I'm drooling here looking at it. It's going for $329, so I'd call it a steal. If only it had a maple neck. I prefer the J90c but I guess I can just crank up the gain a bit more to get the J80's going.

[DonP]

J90C's seem to be a lot easier to find. Shouldn't be hard to find a replacement.

[savatage]

I think the pickups would be ok. I meant to say that I wish it had a maple fingerboard. It already has a maple neck!

By the way, are the coils split? I think it has a 5-way switch.

[DonP]

I've never had a 3A.

If they don't. a Stew Mac Super 5 way E switch would let you do all sorts of things.

[Grandturk]

Yeah - 3A's had a 5 way super switch. Mine came all gobblygooked up though, so I don't know what the original switching schematic was, though. Probaby: Neck Hum - Inner Coils - Hum + Hum - Outer Coils - Bridge Hum

[savatage]

The one other option would be a 475 deluxe. In theory if I didn't like the J50Bc I could swap it for a J90c. What do the active electronics on these do and how distorted (heavy metalish) do these guitars get, compared to something with J90c but no active electronics?