NGD - Charvel 275 Deluxe

[Razor]

I picked this 275 Deluxe recently. Gave it a thorough cleaning and polish so had everything apart. Hands down the easiest guitar I've ever set up. Had it tuned and set up to E standard in like in 15 minutes tops. Didn't even have to adjust the truss rod or intonation. Has a few normal dings on the body from being played over the years but the neck is damn nice with very little wear.

She's a damn nice player and of course the J90C sounds tits! I'm glad to have added this one to the collection.

[pianoguyy]

You don't come across a Chrome JT-6 everyday.

[Number Of The Priest]

So at first I thought, "That's not a 275. A 275 has a 22-fret Dinky body (not a Strat body), a single-locking trem (not a JT6), and two slanted adjacent single coils at the bridge position (not a full humbucker). I don't know WHAT that is."

Lo and behold, a quick Google Image search for "Charvel 275" shows plenty of examples of Strat-bodied, JT6-equipped, humbucker-loaded 275s, and they were apparently from 1989 only. Subsequent years had the more common configuration of Dinky body, single-locking trem, and single coils.

I clearly hadn't been paying enough attention to that model, probably because I dismissed it on account of thinking the post-1989 version's weirder specs made it a model to decline in favor of a 375 or above.

Now knowing this 1989 variant exists, I would prefer the 1989 version over the post-1989 version.

So Razor, you contributed to my "8-38 gauge strings in standard tuning" thread. What gauge did you install on this guitar? Could have been a candidate for 8s!

I've lost track of your Model Series and Toothpaste Series Charvels but I feel like you're getting close to a complete set!

[john.w.lawson]

I picked this 275 Deluxe recently. Gave it a thorough cleaning and polish so had everything apart. Hands down the easiest guitar I've ever set up. Had it tuned and set up to E standard in like in 15 minutes tops. Didn't even have to adjust the truss rod or intonation. Has a few normal dings on the body from being played over the years but the neck is damn nice with very little wear.

She's a damn nice player and of course the J90C sounds tits! I'm glad to have added this one to the collection.

Never had one myself. Congrats

[JJ119]

SCORE!!

Very Nice!!

Congratulations!

[Razor]

So at first I thought, "That's not a 275. A 275 has a 22-fret Dinky body (not a Strat body), a single-locking trem (not a JT6), and two slanted adjacent single coils at the bridge position (not a full humbucker). I don't know WHAT that is."

Lo and behold, a quick Google Image search for "Charvel 275" shows plenty of examples of Strat-bodied, JT6-equipped, humbucker-loaded 275s, and they were apparently from 1989 only. Subsequent years had the more common configuration of Dinky body, single-locking trem, and single coils.

I clearly hadn't been paying enough attention to that model, probably because I dismissed it on account of thinking the post-1989 version's weirder specs made it a model to decline in favor of a 375 or above.

Now knowing this 1989 variant exists, I would prefer the 1989 version over the post-1989 version.

So Razor, you contributed to my "8-38 gauge strings in standard tuning" thread. What gauge did you install on this guitar? Could have been a candidate for 8s!

I've lost track of your Model Series and Toothpaste Series Charvels but I feel like you're getting close to a complete set!

My old reliable 10-46 Boomers. I have like 8 sets of them lying around. I still need a Model 1, 3. 5, 6, 7 and 8 so I'm no where close to a complete set yet. This and the Predator are my only Toothpaste logo'd Charvels. I'm like you I do prefer the '89 version so when this one popped up I was all in.

[john.w.lawson]

bump

[Mechayoshi]

There were one of these recently on shopgoodwill.. Yes this 1989 variant doesn’t show up all the time and it’s kind of interested how they essentially just redesigned this model the year next. Yeah the silver JT-6 is another point of interest. Just overall a understated yet quirky Charvel! I wonder if they reasoned that some of the Charvettes had this same pickup layout and body?

[Razor]

There were one of these recently on shopgoodwill.. Yes this 1989 variant doesn’t show up all the time and it’s kind of interested how they essentially just redesigned this model the year next. Yeah the silver JT-6 is another point of interest. Just overall a understated yet quirky Charvel! I wonder if they reasoned that some of the Charvettes had this same pickup layout and body?

This is the one that was on Goodwill.

I paid more than I really wanted but they're not exactly falling off trees and I don't care for the '90 and up version. I figured with the good deals I'd gotten on my Model 4 and 3DR I could take overpaying for that one. Plus I just really wanted it.

It's a damn good playing and feeling guitar. It's giving my Predator and 3DR a run for the money on playing time.

[Lemonheadfr]

congrats ! I didn't know about this early "strat" 275. It seems a lot of people prefer this one more than the later "dinky" one, why ?

[Number Of The Priest]

I surprised myself by finding the 1989 variant documented on Henrik's Audiozone site all along; I suppose I simply was not paying enough attention: https://web.archive.org/web/20180831...rt-guitars.php

Charvel Classic Series

275 Deluxe	1989		$600	Basswood	Maple	Rosewood	Bolt-on 22	Dot white	HS	J90C • J100	JT-6 chrome
275 Deluxe	1990-91		$600	Basswood	Maple	Rosewood	Bolt-on 22	Dot white	HS		JT-570

It seems a lot of people prefer this one more than the later "dinky" one, why ?

For the reasons I stated in my post above, primarily for the 1989 variant's double-locking JT6 tremolo and the full humbucker at the bridge position, rather than the 1990-91 variant's single-locking JT570 tremolo and twin single coils at the bridge position.

[Megametal7]

congrats on a new guitar, make her scream!

[DonP]

My Criss Oliva tribute I just built a few months back.

I have one of these 1989 275's in white. The neck pickup was (sloppy) routed for a humbucker. I routed it a little more to fit an oversized covered pickup in there. Swapped the hardware for black. Now it looks like a white Model 3, but with a locking nut and a pull up route (and the the body scalloped under the neck).

Under the Jackson oversized pickup covers I have the Distortion Mayhem set. I used the Schaller Mega E super switch for coil splits. A little sanding of the slot was needed because of the tight fit getting the selector blade through the slot.

It is such a great player - feels slinky and sexy to play.


Word of warning - At first I was going with a Black OFR, but it barely DOES NOT FIT the pullup route, just slightly too big. So I pulled the JT6 off of my Black Model 6 and used the OFR on that guitar.

Somehow I have two chrome JT-6's sitting, and one in a 550XL - they multiplied LOL!

[kmanick]

Cool!!! I don't think I've ever seen a chrome JT-6 before

[john.w.lawson]

Cool!!! I don't think I've ever seen a chrome JT-6 before

Funny, me either, now there's two, three just like it for sale.