Charvel 750xl - work in progress

[Digitised]

I bought this on ebay last summer from a guy who had not only ruined it, but charged me $300 for his $80 shipping. (yes i got the reciept with the guitar after it arrived....4 weeks after being shipped ).

Anyway im determined to make the most of this classic guitar, so far i have removed what was left of the hardware and stripped the body. Apparently this used to be blue, but he thought a few layers of varnish over a non figured top would look way better...

I also took the heel down as far as i could giving it a soloist join, as well as scalloping the rear horn in a similar way in which i have also done another guitar of mine (USA soloist).

This has come out remarkably well so far, i just need to get varnish off the neck and the inside top horn, then i can go over it with fine paper before beginning the recoat.

[Tekky]

...psssst...

Charvel 750 is an import...

[Digitised]

yer i know....i just realised there were 2 charvel forums

[Vass]

Fantastic- Keep up the good work- Bring that baby back!

Vass

[wanthairspray]

That don't look like mahogany to me...! Was this a solid colour, not a burst or anything, before you stripped it?

Asking because some on the forum think that the solid colour 750's were not mahogany. Looks like they may be right.

[Digitised]

Well the guy i bought it from says it used to be blue, i doubt it was trans because the top isnt figured, infact its unmatched and ugly. So my guess is yes, it was solid blue.

The wood is a mystery to me too.
Under the back it looks kind of pale like the alder on my soloist (which ive also stripped) however its far more crumbly... and doesnt sand very smooth.
I have yet to give it a proper smooth sand, ive been on it with a detail sander with 80's, but id say this looks like alder only its softer.

Im not sure if the top (that 8th'' cap) is maple. It might just be the stain, whatever he used seems to have cut deep into the grain and its hard to be sure what it is.

[m2pmd70]

I need a 750XL.

[rjohnstone]

That back looks almost like Basswood.
Top looks like Alder or a really crappy piece of Maple.

[dg]

Definitely looks like basswood to me. This is the second solid color one that we can be sure is not mahogany. 2 out of 2 stripped guitars, plus some other tone dogs that people have been suspicious about. That's pretty damned disappointing, since the catalog said "mahogany setneck construction", not "mahogany setneck construction on trans finishes, and whatever the hell we feel like gluing together on the solid colors." I'd be royally pissed if I'd shelled out for one of these new, and my search for a silver sparkle one is officially over.

[wanthairspray]

Yeah, my first thought was basswood/lime, too. The other dude who took his down bare wood a while back saw the same thing.

Shame...naughty Charvel.