Charvel 750XL restoration etc

[masterofsolos]

Hi,

I bought one of these guitars yeaaars ago and honestly, It's been sat in a guitar bag unplayed most of the time...

Which is terrible! But I've taken it out now and I've been playing it and it's fantastic. Though it has some issues I need to sort out.

It's got a LOT of laquer missing, and numerous scratches on the back. The neck binding has gone yellow. The neck pickup is missing one of it's mounting screws so sags on one side. The wiring is a bit messed up (just some wire missing, functionally it's good). One of the bridge saddle screws is the wrong type and has a much larger head than usual, making finer adjustments a bit difficult.

This was the way it was when I got it years ago. All I've done is put a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge.

It also has one of those crazy jackson super switches with the million positions on it. Did this come as stock?

The input jack's nut looks really dull, grey and rough so I'm thinking this isn't an original part.

Other than that, she's great!

I suppose I'd like to start by asking, can I get any standard pickup screw + spring combo to fix the issue with the sagging neck pickup? It's literally missing the screw and spring on one side.

Also, was the wiring in these good? the wire going to the input jack looks a little thin. Worth replacing? Should the pots be replaced too or are they good?

I was wondering if there's something I could put in the bridge pickup slot that might be a bit more interesting than the JB? I don't tend to play anything particularly high gain these days..mostly classic rock/metal stuff.. Think old school Judas Priest kind of tone. Would the Seymour Duncan SH-5 PAF style pickup be a nice choice?

Sorry this post is a little all over the place but I want to get going ASAP with getting the best out of this guitar! I don't want it going back into a gig bag and getting forgotten...

[Number Of The Priest]

Would the Seymour Duncan SH-5 PAF style pickup be a nice choice?

I can't advise on the choice of pickup, but if possible, you should try to get the TB-5 which is trem-spaced and the polepiece spacing will be more in line with the strings. The SH-5 has standard-spaced polepieces, and is therefore narrower. Though, this can be argued that it's a matter of aesthetics, and that pickups surround strings with a more-than-adequate field no matter what spacing you choose.

[masterofsolos]

Will do, thanks!

[goshac]

Go with tb-5 it's exactly what you need. I swapped jb with Custom in my 750xl and added dimarzio air norton to neck. Perfect!

[masterofsolos]

Thanks, the Custom is really sounding like a great idea!

I'm just taking the guitar apart now to clean it. The bridge was fairly gross and unfortunately that extra large saddle screw was hiding the fact that someone must have stripped out the screw hole and had to enlarge it, hence the larger screw. Ah well.

The neck pickup is a Jackson J-50BC which I'm hearing is a bridge pickup? I'm going to try the original bridge pickup too, which is a J-80C... Should I swap them around??

[DonP]

If you were to swap them, I'd try to fine a J-50N for the neck to go with the J-50BC in the bridge.

My 750XL is currently loaded with a pair of Full Shreds, but I'm thinking the Duncan Custom might be better. I think I have a J-50N and J-50BC combo as well.

I have a J-50BC loaded in a 1987 Jackson and it sounds pretty killer. Also one in a M-6 but the pre-amp colors the tone of the pickup even with the boost off.

[Black Shadow]

If you were to swap them, I'd try to fine a J-50N for the neck to go with the J-50BC in the bridge.

My 750XL is currently loaded with a pair of Full Shreds, but I'm thinking the Duncan Custom might be better. I think I have a J-50N and J-50BC combo as well.

I have a J-50BC loaded in a 1987 Jackson and it sounds pretty killer. Also one in a M-6 but the pre-amp colors the tone of the pickup even with the boost off.

Agree on the J50BC. To be honest, it's a little flabby on the bottom end with high gain, although that can be tuned out with EQ, and the lead sound is absolutely KILLER! One of my favorite lead sounds, bar none....

I believe I've played the J50N in an old Model 5, or maybe that was its predecessor. But I'm sure it pairs very well with the BC.