New arrival!

[mapleneck]

I'm new to J/CF as I was was to the Kramer Forum last week. I ended up with a nice 1st Kramer Pacer and now I have a Charvel 3A on it's way to me. The serial# is 217124 w/Jackson tuners,Jackson pups,red w/black guard,tweed case, white toothpaste logo and a Kahler. The seller was knowledgeable about some of the transitional history and possibilities of whether this is for sure Japanese or maybe USA. So I may not be on the right Forum. I would expect the experts to know right off. I'm an older collector of Fender and Rics and have recently seen a different light. I'm also looking at another Charvel at the local pawn shop. The 80's era of guitars has become of great interest because of all the work you have all done. It's claimed to be perfect so when I receive it pics may follow.

[dg]

It's definitely a Japanese made guitar. From your description, it sounds like a parts mutt. None of the toothpaste-logo Charvels came with Kahler trems. They had Schaller trems. Are you confusing the names, or does it definitely have a Kahler? Also, a Model 3A would have the guitar-shaped logo rather than toothpaste. Your best bet is to look through the catalog scans from '86 through '91 and see if you can find a match. Model Series ran from '86 - '88 and the toothpaste models started in '89. Here are the scans:

http://audiozone.dk/index-filer/CatalogScans.htm

Oh, and as far as the seller being knowledgeable... he should know that a 6 digit serial # and a Fort Worth address on the neckplate always means it's an import. Toothpaste logo always means it's an import. A guitar-shaped logo with "by Jackson/Charvel" under it always means it's an import.

[mapleneck]

Nice diagnosis and many thanks! Yes..it's a FT. Worth plate and it looks like the 86 Jap. import from your scans. I still play 70's Rock from my era and am trying to learn 80's. I won't mind if it's Japanese. From what I've read they're all still quality. I'll have to wait to see how much it's messed with but is claimed to be stock. One owner and bought in Texas? Were there that many options? This is very helpful to eventually find out whether to keep it stock. The kramer Pacer I found came with EMG's and sounded so good I decided not to change it back to Schallers.

[mapleneck]

Moved thread to Charvel Imports [Charvel identification] where it belongs.

[mapleneck]

Okay....this 3A finally showed up and turned out to be and sound pretty nice. It was hardly played and had to put in another spring to get the Kahler set right. Do they come with all 5 springs or is someone always taking 1 or 2? Also do these Charvel Models that have humbuckers sometimes have the Jackson plastic cover on them? I was surprised how heavy a 3A is. Really impressive tone compared to my "other" strats.

[Sunbane]

If it has the toothpaste logo AND the Kahler, then it is most likely a parts mutt, or a heavilly modded guitar. Like DG said, the toothpaste logos didn't appear until 1989, so a Model 3A it is not.

[mapleneck]

The seller was wrong. It's not a toothpaste but in fact is the guitar logo with Jackson/Charvel beneathe. The body really is heavy. Is basswood that weight or did the imports use alder? Really nice paint for an import.

[Sunbane]

The seller was wrong. It's not a toothpaste but in fact is the guitar logo with Jackson/Charvel beneathe. The body really is heavy. Is basswood that weight or did the imports use alder? Really nice paint for an import.

Ah, I see.

Yeah, I've read several people stating that their model series Charvels are surprisingly heavy. I don't know if basswood is inherently heavy, but it seems that Charvel generally used really dense wood pieces back in the 80's. People often say that their M5s and M6s (maple neck-thru with poplar wings) are really heavy as well.

The bolt-on model series were all basswood as far as I know, except on those with transparent finishes (Model 88 (mahogany), and some Model 7 (ash)).