CAD$300 for Charvel Model 1C (HSS config), yay or nay?

[Number Of The Priest]

No case, seller assumes the bridge pickup is a DiMarzio, some fretwear as expected on a guitar this old.

Don't seem to see a lot of Model 1Cs around. Can't even find recent Completed Listings on eBay, so I have no idea what a reasonable ballpark price would be. Aside from the Model 1, Model 1A, and Model 1C, are there any other variants of the Model 1? Model 1B seems to be a bass.

Seller lives closeby, so I will try to visit. In the meantime, input massively appreciated. Thanks.

[Johnnyryche]

Personally, I'd price it like a model 1 as the 2 single coils don't add any value to me. I would think a model 1 in good shape would run about $300-$400 depending on condition. So if he's asking CAD$300, and it has some fret wear, to me it's a fair price. And for what it's worth, check out the thread on my model 1 refin. Sanding the neck and removing the gloss finish from the neck and fingerboard makes a HUGE difference in these guitars. Can't say enough how much better it feels and plays.

[Number Of The Priest]

Good point. If I buy this, it would by my third guitar with HSS pickups and I never use the singles.

If you're talking about http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/148...el-model-1-HRF, then wow, killer guitar.

I'm seeing this guitar tonight. Will report back afterwards.

[Number Of The Priest]

I tried the guitar this evening. Seller received it in a trade about eight years ago and basically didn't play it. Consequently, the wonky setup and old strings made it challenging to play (or it highlights how much I suck when I'm not playing my own guitars). I feel like sellers should really take the time to spiff up their guitars, do a basic setup, and install fresh strings, in the same way a home might be tidied up, freshly painted, and staged with furniture and decor to look realistic and attractive for prospective buyers. Anyway...

Only minor nicks and scratches on the body. Pointy headstock didn't have any chips that I could see. Tuners were the Jackson-logo 45° screw variety. The green humbucker did look like a DiMarzio of unknown model and it was WAY hotter than the stock Jackson single coils. Electronics worked as they should. Minor fret wear didn't affect playability or result in fret buzz.

This might be the first time in my 15 years of playing guitar that I have played a fulcrum trem. All my trem experience has been with Floyds and nothing else. I don't know if it was the old strings, the strings catching in the unlubricated nut (there were lots of those little "ping" sounds every time I retuned), or just the ancient design of fulcrum trems, but the guitar wasn't able to hold tune even after a little bit of not-too-aggressive playing (with and without deploying the whammy bar). I wasn't expecting it to go out of tune THAT quickly with respectful playing. A huge unrealistic divebomb (just to test the guitar's limits) actually made all the strings go sharp when the trem returned to neutral. I feel like this experience has made a horrible first impression of fulcrum trems on me.

I didn't buy. Plenty of fish in the sea, but I'm likely spoiled by my own guitars too.

[VitaminG]

I'm not a huge fan of that bridge as a trem. I lock 'em down & treat them like a hardtail. There are tweaks you can do to make them work better but I've never bothered. I have plenty of Floyded guitars for that kind of thing. The tuning issues could also be attributed to the crusty old strings. From the condition you've described, I think it sounds like a fair price.

[Number Of The Priest]

Citing desire to sell by this weekend, the seller relisted his classified ad and reduced the price from CAD$300 to CAD$250, still without case and everything else remains the same.

Slightly tempted.

I suppose I could block the trem and essentially turn the guitar into "hardtail" mode. Good point about having Floyded guitars for real trem playing. I'm just spoiled by Floyd-style trems. Ibanez Edge (original), JT580LP, and OFR have always been 100% stable for me.

Been reading Dan Erlewine's books, "Guitar Player Repair Guide" and "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!" and I think this guitar could serve as a good test bed for putting the knowledge into practice without dire consequences. Who knows, I might end up with a decent player. I have a black DiMarzio Super 3 I could install, if nothing else to have all the pickups match in color, and two Duncan Hot Rails I could install if I feel like having a three-hum guitar.

Will a generic Stratocaster hardshell case fit this guitar and provide full support? I'm not certain considering Strats have a straight headstock and this Model 1C has an angled-back headstock. I don't want to invest much in a case, so I will likely find one used.

[Number Of The Priest]

OK, I bought it for CAD$250. The "bones" of the guitar are solid and it has a lot of potential. Once I got home and could let loose, it actually plays pretty decent despite the crusty strings and wonky setup. Looking forward to taking it apart, cleaning it, replacing the strings, and performing a setup to bring out its best. I'll also find out what pickup is in the bridge position.

First electric guitar purchase in eleven years. It really does help to quell GAS by staying away from forums. I've only returned for a few days and I've already bought stuff I don't need. Forums are horrible for willpower.

Also bought a Roland Micro Cube from a different local seller for only CAD$40. New guitar day AND new amp day! I didn't really need another amp but it was such a steal that I figure I can resell it at twice the price if I don't want to keep it. It sounds pretty decent with the mystery humbucker in the Charvel Model 1C!

Pics and reviews to follow after overhauling.

[Johnnyryche]

Congrats! Have fun with it. Looking forward to seeing more pics and a review.

[Axewielder]

Green singles, knobs, and switch would be cool...sort of like a JEM777VBK

[Number Of The Priest]

Took the Model 1C apart tonight for a good cleaning and setup. Most of the crud was just dust accumulated over many years of not being played or maintained. It looks like a restored classic now that I'm almost finished with the maintenance work. Just need to verify neck relief and set the intonation tomorrow and it should hopefully play like butter.

The humbucker is a DiMarzio DP151 (PAF Pro), very vintage in its rating. It shouldn't overpower the J100 single coils which are also rated vintage output. Maybe I should lower the bridge pickup slightly. If I understand correctly, the stock pickup was a J90C, a high-output distortion class pickup. Seems bizarre that one of the previous owners switched out an aggressive pickup for a PAF type. Oh well, I use a heavily processed sound anyway, so I might be happy with a mild bridge pickup in this guitar. Maybe I'll eventually learn to solder, and put in a black DiMarzio Super 3 I've had lying around.

Here are pics of the neck heel and neck pocket. What do the M and T mean on the heel? In the neck pocket, the stamp says "No. 1C - 5". Does this mean that it was the fifth Model 1C built that day? I can't clearly distinguish what it says on the faded purple stamp on the treble side of the pocket and I have no idea what that stamp means. Any help appreciated! Thanks!

[VitaminG]

maybe the previous owner wanted a better balance between bucker & singles? It sucks when you switch pickups for a different tone & lose volume at the same time.

I have no idea about the stamps. The 5 might be a colour code eg. "this a 1C body in black"? Pure speculation, but the Models only came out in limited colours so they could have used single digit codes. I believe the M1s were initially only available in 3 - red, white & black. They added additional colours in subsequent years. I could be talking out my ass, a check of Henrik's catalogs would confirm

[GrimRiffer]

Id be happy to own that one.

[Number Of The Priest]

I'm happy to own it so far. Time will tell if I hold on to it.

Against my better judgment, I stayed up way too late last night adjusting and playing the guitar. I had recently quit playing music for over a year, and now that I've rediscovered my passion for it, I didn't expect it to consume me like this.

Now that I've set up the guitar about 90% ideal (very playable now, but will try to refine further), I'll share some first impressions. Pics and possibly video or sound samples to come this weekend.

• http://www.charvelusa.com/models.html is a great site. Is this Henrik's site that VitaminG suggested? Seller thought this Model 1C was made in 1987. According to the site, the Model 1C production years were 1988 only. The site also answers a question I posted before about how many Model 1 variants there were.

• As suggested by VitaminG, the PAF Pro does have good balance with the J100 singles. Adjusting the pickup heights made this possible. Swapping for my spare DiMarzio Super 3 might overpower the singles.

• My Soloist and Les Paul have hot pickups. I might keep this Model 1C as-is, if nothing else to own a guitar with vintage-voiced pickups.

• The DiMarzio website describes the PAF Pro as "Low notes have both snap and chunk, and there is a spike in the mid-range that gives the pickup a subtle “aw” vowel sound, like a wah-wah pedal stopped in the middle." I agree with this description. Very different flavor from the hot pickups in my other guitars.

• The guitar's craftsmanship and component quality are very good. No sharp fret ends, frets are properly seated, neck joint has no gaps, the basswood body is more resonant than a previous basswood guitar I had, nut slots are cut well, trem is very hefty, trem cavity and electronics cavity are very clean, solder joints are nice and shiny, etc. Charvel Model Series seem to be fantastic guitars for the price.

• I set up the fulcrum trem to float. After cleaning the tremolo, and with fresh strings properly installed and stretched, it stays in tune much better now. The previous setup was horrible with old strings wrapped improperly around the tuning posts that I nearly let dissuade me from the purchase. Locking tuners, roller/lubricated nut, and roller/lubricated saddles would likely improve tuning stability, but I'm resisting sinking money into this guitar.

• I took a suggestion from one of the Dan Erlewine books to degloss the maple fretboard and maple neck using 0000 steel wool. The difference in look is very subtle at no sacrifice to the protection capability of the poly finish, but the improvement in playability is rather dramatic.

• The flimsy paper radius gauges supplied with the book couldn't tell me the radius of the fretboard. When I first visited the seller, he had steel radius gauges that determined the guitar had a 12-16" compound radius. (Correct me if I am wrong because I can't find Model Series radius information on the internet.) I wasn't able to confirm it with my paper gauges because they suck or the difference between the 12" arc and the 16" arc are too subtle. Consequently I set up the saddle heights purely by feel. I have a little buzz which was the price I'm paying for playable action. I hope to study further and adjust accordingly.

[Number Of The Priest]

Pics.

[VitaminG]

looking sharp, Alex. Very nice. Glad to hear you're enjoying her. The Model guitars are great value for money on the secondhand market.

Henrik's site is audiozone.dk. I was busy at work when I posted and couldn't the catalogs myself at the time. Sounds like you still got the info you need though