Charvel Model 4 project

[Razor]

I picked this up on auction a couple of weeks ago. It honestly was in better shape than I thought it was going to be in. It needed a good cleaning more than anything along with a good fret board clean, polish and oil. I have a few parts ordered from Dave at FretsOnTheNet.com so it will be a week or two before I can completely finish her but I figured I'd share some before and after cleaning pictures of her.

The one thing I worried about was replacing the string nut as it was missing and I have never replaced one myself. I took some measurements of the string nut on my Model 2 and found the Tone Ninja TN-NUT-004-B1 string nut to be the closest to my Model 2 measurements. I had to sand a little bit to lower it to the right height but that was it. There are a couple of string lock screws stripped so I have a set of those along with a trem spring cover and some cover screws on order from Dave.

It has a bit of fret wear but that's to be expected for a guitar this age. Considering how filthy it was it's in pretty good shape. I do enjoy restoring and cleaning things up so this has been a fun little project so far.

Before pictures












After a good cleaning pictures

[Number Of The Priest]

You're on an absolute rampage with the Charvel purchases lately!

New nut looks like it was meant to be there all along! Nicely done. Did you glue it in place? If so, what kind of glue?

[Razor]

You're on an absolute rampage with the Charvel purchases lately!

New nut looks like it was meant to be there all along! Nicely done. Did you glue it in place? If so, what kind of glue?

Thanks! It's nice to be a bit older with more discretionary money available. Work has been insanely busy so the paychecks have been nicer which makes it a bit easier to swing too.

My father in law has built and repaired several guitars and he recommended 5 minute epoxy. I just happened to use the Gorilla Glue brand because it was the cheapest. I measured and sanded to fit, epoxied into place, taped it up and let it sit 24 hours. Felt nice and solid when I took the tape off it last night.

[metalhobo]

hopefully that gorilla glue doesn't stick too hard. ideally the nut should be adhered just enough to keep it in place, and it should be easy to remove with a whack from a mallet. I normally use thinned out (with water) titebond.

[Razor]

hopefully that gorilla glue doesn't stick too hard. ideally the nut should be adhered just enough to keep it in place, and it should be easy to remove with a whack from a mallet. I normally use thinned out (with water) titebond.

I put it on real thin. It should not take much to remove with a rubber mallet if needed down the road as it's just a thin coat of epoxy. I put it on with a toothpick.

[Johnnyryche]

Nice looking model 4! Congrats. Something to consider is sanding the gloss finish off the back of the neck. I've had a couple model series projects where I've had that done, including a model 4 neck on an explorer body, and these necks feel and play even better. Takes the guitar to a whole new level.

[metalhobo]

Nice looking model 4! Congrats. Something to consider is sanding the gloss finish off the back of the neck. I've had a couple model series projects where I've had that done, including a model 4 neck on an explorer body, and these necks feel and play even better. Takes the guitar to a whole new level.

sanding sounds like overkill. you can turn that gloss into a nice smooth satin with a green scotchbrite.

[Razor]

Nice looking model 4! Congrats. Something to consider is sanding the gloss finish off the back of the neck. I've had a couple model series projects where I've had that done, including a model 4 neck on an explorer body, and these necks feel and play even better. Takes the guitar to a whole new level.

Normally after I clean the frets and fret board I'll run some oiled up fine bronze wool over the back of the neck to smooth it up. Not anything enough to remove the finish just smooth it up more than anything. Works great on gun stocks too.

Hopefully my parts show up tomorrow or Saturday and we'll see how the finished product turned out. I'm real interested in the playability of it since I installed the string nut.

[JJ119]

She cleaned up pretty nicely!
I'm almost as anxious to hear it as you are, LoL!!

[DJGranite]

That's a good looking Blue.
Not too bright, not too dark.
I like it.
Do you know the name of that color?

[Razor]

That's a good looking Blue.
Not too bright, not too dark.
I like it.
Do you know the name of that color?

Cobalt Blue. Totally different than the Electric Blue on my Model 2. Blue is my favorite color and although I am not a fan of middle pickup guitars because my attack is so heavy I tend to hit them while playing. I got my parts in yesterday and one thing I noticed while tuning it up last night is that I wasn't hitting the middle pickup like I normally do. I may fuck around and keep this one. I'll post some completed pictures in the next couple of days.

[Razor]

Forgot to post the after clean up and setup pictures. Here she is.

[JJ119]

Well crap!!

Damn Good Save!!!

I originally thought this was that one posted in the
Efraid Of ebay thread.

Upon further review, " I Can See Clearly Now "
this is not that one.

[veeshawn]

Beautiful!! I love stories like these.

[Unforeseen88]

If I may say, that turned out beautifully. I love the model series and the model 4 was my first introduction to them. Looks great man, I hope it plays and sounds just as nice.