Identify My Charvel

[Lightstorm]

Hi all, I'm new here but happy to find this place.

I own what I think is a Japanese-made Model 4 manufactured in the late 1980's or very early 1990's. The guitar has a strat-style body with a SSH pick-up configuration (no pick guard), 5-way selector switch, Floyd Rose JT-6 locking trem, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, and a toothpaste style logo. Serial number is 346480.

I bought the guitar in a pawn shop about two years ago thinking that I would re-finish it (it looked really bad at the time). But once I got it home and gave it some love and a good cleaning it really turned out to be a nice instrument. The two single coil pick-ups both are "rails" type and give a nice tone while the humbucker provides a really nice growl when over-driven.

[Grandturk]

Fusion of some sort

[jackson1]

It looks like a Fusion Custom:
Fusion Custom 1989-91 $800 Basswood Maple Rosewood Bolt-on 24 Dot white HSS J90C • J200R • J200R JT-590

The bridge pickup and the JT-6 is not original for a Fusion Custom, though. The serial indicates mid 1990.

[jackson1]

Oh and welcome, Lightstorm

[dg]

Does the headstock have matching paint, or is it black?

[RacerX]

"Identify my Charvel PLEASE"


heh

[Lightstorm]

Does the headstock have matching paint, or is it black?

It has matching paint.

[dg]

Cool! I asked because the Fusion Custom was the only Fusion model w/ matching headstock. So it looks all original except for the swapped trem.

[Tekky]

Just in case you didn't know... Here's some of the major differences between the Fusion Custom and the Model 4:

Body:
Model 4 - Strat shaped
Fusion - Dinky Shaped

Neck:
Model 4 - Fender scale = 25.5' scale
Fusion - Gibson scale = 24.75' scale

Controls:
Model 4 - Jackson JE1200 active preamp with volume, tone, and, mid boost/cut control(6db) and 3 individual toggle switches for pickup selection.
Fusion Custom - Volume, tone and 5-way blade switch for pickup selection.

[Lightstorm]

Thank you all for helping clarify the origin of my guitar. Is there any particular reason someone would want to change the trem from a JT-590 to a JT-6? Honestly I find the JT-6 difficult to fine-tune.

[jackson1]

An early JT-590 tremolo (like your 1990 model came with) would have a baseplate made of zinc. Threads in zinc are easily stripped (ruined), so that is one plausable reason for the JT-6 being there now. Another reason could be that a previous owner liked the JT-590 but wanted to sell the guitar, so... swappedy-swap. Another thing.. I don't recall this model came with chrome hardware. And your strap pins are not the same. I wonder if a lot of hardware has been changed on yours.

[Nimitz]

Swapped or not... that Charvel looks sexy!!!

Congrats on the Cherry Axe!!!

[Lightstorm]

An early JT-590 tremolo (like your 1990 model came with) would have a baseplate made of zinc. Threads in zinc are easily stripped (ruined), so that is one plausable reason for the JT-6 being there now. Another reason could be that a previous owner liked the JT-590 but wanted to sell the guitar, so... swappedy-swap. Another thing.. I don't recall this model came with chrome hardware. And your strap pins are not the same. I wonder if a lot of hardware has been changed on yours.

The volume and tone knobs were replaced by me, the ones on the guitar when I got it were a grungy, mis-matched pair made of plastic. The strap pins were the same as when I bought it but, prior to that....who knows.

[satyr]

The 590 fine tuners are on top...some players like them at the tail, out of the way.

[Lightstorm]

bump