Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

[Obi_one]

Hi everybody.
I am a new member to this forum and I will write some info in my profile as soon as possible. Sorry if my English is not the best (Swede [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] )

I found this very nice guitar at a pawn shop. It sounded just killer. It also got an interesting design with neck-through and was to good to be crap so I bought it, despite that it was completely covered with paint from a spray can (including paint on the electronics [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] )
After removing some paint it turned out to be a Charvel from Japan I think and the serial suggest that it is from 1989.




I would appreciate a lot if anybody could tell me what model I got here.
It looks like a model 5 but the toggle switch is a different model from a 5 fx.
The scale length is 25.5 inch so it can not be a fusion model.
Here is the pickup routs:

The middle pickup rout is not original i think.
The slanted rout for the neck pickup is original but widened to take standard vintage size single coils.

The guitar only got a a volume control and a strat type toggle. This arrangement seems to be completely original:


Here is the guitar after some serious cleaning



Any thoughts or help is appreciated.
Once more "hi to everybody" [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img].
Best regards / Obi_one

[agresivo]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

This is a Charvel 550XL (with an added middle single coil pickup). It's a great guitar indeed!

[atilla]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

The real question is who's the savage that put that paint on it? Oy!

[Obi_one]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

Hi again

agresivo: Thanks for the fast response and very interesting info (for me at least [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] )
atilla: I have no idea about who the previous owner was but he (or her) was a savage indeed [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].
The guitar did not look so bad beneath the spray paint so I do not understand why it was done [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. probably he hated the original colour, waes drunk or something [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

Can I read more about this model somewhere, like the woods used and so on?

Best regards / Obi_one

[Emthrax]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

Woah... nice job on the clean-up there, Obi!
Much Much better now, she's pretty. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Welcome to the JCF! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

Em

[guitarsjb]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

Hi..great clean up job. Nice guitar.

[etaeniura]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

at least it is a nice route instead of a hammer and chisel job. It should be a killer axe once you get it back together and cleaned up! Welcome!

[Obi_one]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

Thanx everybody [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img].

Yeah the clean-up took several days just on the outside [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img].
There was a decent Duncan JB pickup in the bridge position but I do not recognize the two single coils. I do not think that they are Jackson. If I don not like them I will probably replace them.
My first thought was to fill the mid cavity with wood and refinish it but it might be bad to change the original colour. As etaeniura say the extra routing is rather well performed and I kind of like the turquoise color now when I have done all the hard work to bring it back [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

I will post some pics when I am done and show the final result [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
Best regards / Obi

[Jonzkij]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

Nice job with the clean up!
It warms my heart to see that the guitar is being properly taken care of.

//Jonzkij

[RacerX]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some help

I actually like the original look! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Surge]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some

Welcome to the JCF! Great score on the Charvel, you did a great job of cleaning it up.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some

[ QUOTE ]

Can I read more about this model somewhere, like the woods used and so on?

[/ QUOTE ]

That guitar has a maple thru-neck with poplar body wings. The bridge (if original) is a Jackson JT-590, which is really just a Schaller Floyd with the Jackson logo on it. The original neck pickup would have been a Jackson dual blade-style pickup, sort of like a Duncan Hot Rails. Those tend to get changed out a lot, from what I've seen.

Nice guitar--and good job cleaning it up! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Obi_one]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some

Thanx for the nice welcome everyone [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[ QUOTE ]
That guitar has a maple thru-neck with poplar body wings. The bridge (if original) is a Jackson JT-590, which is really just a Schaller Floyd with the Jackson logo on it. The original neck pickup would have been a Jackson dual blade-style pickup, sort of like a Duncan Hot Rails. Those tend to get changed out a lot, from what I've seen.


[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks for very interesting info. When not using an amplifier you can really hear how good the tone and sustain is. I had no previous knowledge that poplar could sound that nice. Perhaps this can also be partially attributed to the neck-through construction.
The chromed floyd looks almost new and is solely labeled Schaller, made in Germany, so I think it was probably replaced recently. Seem to work very good though.


Best regards / Obi

[noodlesatf]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some

That headstock paintjob looks really similar to one of mine:



Did you find any evidence of this on the body or neck before you cleaned it up?

[Obi_one]

Re: Just want to say Hi and would appreciate some

[ QUOTE ]
That headstock paintjob looks really similar to one of mine:

Did you find any evidence of this on the body or neck before you cleaned it up?

[/ QUOTE ]
Hi

I'm not sure what evidence [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] we are talking about here [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img].
The guitar was completely covered in this dark blue metallic spray can paint. The charvel logo was oversprayed and not visible at all. The paint job was very un-even and unprofessionally performed. No clear coats. Lots of paint also over electronics in cavity which was probably not removed during the painting. No nice glitter paint as in your picture above, which btw looks pretty cool [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img].
The fretboard was probably covered during the painting and was not harmed. Serial is still there behind the last fret and starts with C902

I think this guitar was only available in the colours in the catalog (but may be wrong) Mine is turquoise



Best regards / Bo