My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

[Chasbo]

Well, it's taken me about 6 months to finally get my hands on a charvel/jackson and I have to say just how blown away I am.

I am not sure what model I have. I got it off e-bay. Neck-thru, bound neck and headstock H/S/S jackson active pups, 24 frets and non OFR from japan I assume. Is it a model 6? It does not have the guitar shaped charvel logo, it has the script looking larger logo (is that what you guys call the "toothpaste" logo?).

I really don't care what it is. IT IS FUCKING PHAT!! I have never played a neck like it. I have been listening to you guys say just how great these guitars are to play and thought to myself that they must be good, but no way could they be better than my gibsons. Man was I shocked. It blew me away. The neck is like butter. Flat, wide and super fast.

Consider me converted. I am thinking of replacing my SG with a USA Jackson archtop hardtail now. Fuck...I am really blown away!

Chuck

[Chasbo]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Shoot, wrong thread, please feel free to move this to the import charvel thread admins.

[mariner99]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Yeah, you're in the wrong place, but congrats anyway! Sounds like you have a 650XL - which was my first Charvel as well. Sweet guitars! I've got a dozen Charvel/Jacksons now, but the 650 remains my favorite! [img]graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Guest]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Yeah, either a model 6 or a 650. I'm not sure if the model 6 ever had the toothpaste logo. I got my first hit when I picked up a model 6 in a pawn shop in Australia when I was living there. I was blown away. I scrounged up enough money to put a deposit on it. Then I came back over the course of 6 months to pay it off before it became mine. Owning your first Charvel is an epiphany, isn't it?

[Chasbo]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Got up early this morning to play it again before work. I honestly can't believe how well it plays. Looks like the previous owner replaced the original jackson floyd with a gibson model made by schaller. But it seems to work fine and stays in tune well. I will post pics as soon as I can. I get my new camera in a week. I should have the axe cleaned up by then. Oh and yeah, my first charvel is most definitely an epiphany. This is no simply shredders axe. It just plain plays better than every other guitar I have had.

Chuck

[RacerX]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Originally posted by Alan Smithee:
Yeah, either a model 6 or a 650. I'm not sure if the model 6 ever had the toothpaste logo.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No.
Model 6 = Charvel "guitar" logo
650XL = Toothpaste logo

[Chasbo]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Cool, sounds like I have a 650xl then. Can anyone one tell me what each knob does? I figured that the one below the trem is the volume. The second one sounds like a tone control, but I can't figure what the third one does. Someone said its the active knob, but I have no idea what that means. The switch is a 5 position one as well, does it work like a fender 5 position switch does?

Chuck

[1trussell]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

650 XL is it. Awesome axe, plus my first Charvel as well. The Schaller trem was stock on the 650's. The first knob is a volume, second is a tone and the third knob is the active gain boost knob. The pickups are passive, the electronics are active. I've replaced the pickups in mine with a Hot Rails neck, Cool Rails mid and Distortion bridge. The 5-way switch is set up for:
1st position - neck
2nd position - neck/mid
3rd position - mid
4th position - mid/bridge
5th position - bridge

[Chasbo]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Thanks Travis, I am really having a blast with the axe. It is alot more fun to play now that I know what everything on it does.


Chuck

[Lucifer]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Congrats!!!

[Brad]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Enjoy the Guitar... It is indeed a nice axe. [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[86mod5]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Congratulations. I think that those older Charvels are an awesome bang for the buck.

[guitar geek]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Originally posted by 86mod5:
Congratulations. I think that those older Charvels are an awesome bang for the buck.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That is not a matter of THINKING, but a matter of KNOWING [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Harrald

[Genebaby]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Originally posted by Chasbo:
Looks like the previous owner replaced the original jackson floyd with a gibson model made by schaller. But it seems to work fine and stays in tune well.

Chuck

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Chuck, that trem is most likely original to the guitar. Back in 89 Schaller began producing their awesome Floyd as an OEM for many major guitar companies, including Gibson and Jackson/Charvel, along with making them with their own name on them. They would just stamp the logo of the particular compnay instead of their own, but it would of course still say 'made in Germany by Schaller'. These days they only make them for themselves and companies either use a different copy of a Floyd or an OFR, depending on the price point of the guitar.

Does your say Charvel or Jackson on it? I've seen plenty of Charvels with Jackson stamped Schallers.

[Chasbo]

Re: My 1st Charvel...FINALLY

Neither, it says Gibson on the low E string side and Made by Schaller on the high E string side. I am guessing it's not original. Could Charvel have gotten some Gibson stamped trems and used them anyhow?

Chuck