1986 Charvel-Reincarnated

[txrob779]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share this guitar with ya'll. Started life as a pristine Model 1a, black with an all maple neck. With the single coils it sounded pretty shitty. I wanted to build guitar for some time so after a lot of thought, thinking maybe someday these early 86's would get pricey I decided to mod it. It had a boat route so I decided on a 1 humbucker config. Here is a run down of what I did.

Disassembled and body prepped
Ordered a Chandler 3 ply Pearloid pick guard
Bought a Yamaha Pacifica as a doaner for the Wilkinson Trem and Duncan 59 and mounting ring
Bought a balck nob, new pot and black screws
Had it painted tangerine
* Originally has the pointy headstock painted to match but the guitar would NOT stay in tune with Wilky.
Bought a Warmouth San Dimas profile all maple neck w/ jumbo frets
The only decal I could find in the sources I had was the USA logo but it IS an import Model 1a...was.

Before, a pristine example 86 Model 1a




The pointy headstock neck that didnt work

Here is a youtube vid of me playing the guitar through a Marshall DSL 100...a cool old 80's power ballad my Enuff Z Nuff...please no fat jokes LOL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuaT_kJBCzA&feature=channel

[Grandturk]

I think the point looks awesome. I would have kept it with the pointy and ditched the Wilkinson for the original vintage trem or replaced the vintage trem with a brass trem.

[kuerbo]

Killer guitar!!! Nice video too.

[David S.]

Sweet axe! The strathead just looks right on this. As far as playability is concerned, do you prefer the Warmoth or the original neck?

[Racerx2k]

I agree. The strathead looks nice. Nicer than the pointy, IMHO.

[txrob779]

Well the Model necks have that thin profile ya know but they are lacquered and I much prefer the feel of an unfinsihed neck. I end up sanding the finish off the back anyway. Plus, I LOVE the strathead San Dimas Charvels big time. Here is my 2 cents.

The Model 1's either 1a or 1 have that vintage 6 screw trem. Sometimes even bending the strings with hard legatto, which I do alla Lynch and DiMartini style, yanks the vintage trem out of tune. It's the angle that the strings splay out of the nut to the machines on the pointy w/o a locking nut. It's a well documented problem that I didnt know until I found out it didnt work. The cool thing about the Wilkinson and the Sperzel locking machines is, I can drop D and do whatever I want w/o any issue once so ever. Like early San Dimas Stratheads with vintage trems, similar to a Fender Strat, the strings go through the nut at a nice parallel angle...hence no weird stresses snapping the string or strings back.

The Warmoth neck is just killer, unfinished execpt for some tounge oil and it is just bad ass, worth every penny.

Here is a pic of another mutt I built. This is a Tokia body routed for a West Germany made 1983 FR and a Model series neck with a FR nut, headstock is painted white to match the pickguard w/ a USA logo. I sanded all the clear finish off the back but the fingerboard still has that clear finish thats just uhhhhhhhhhh not as good IMO.

[FastJunkie]

I think I like it with the pointy headstock better personally, nice either way though.

[nhspike]

Nice vid Rob.
Great looking guitar, either way!!

[fullmetalguitar]

Looks great with the strathead. I'm also a big fan of the Wilkenson trems.