Newer Necks vs. Late 80's Necks

[JACKSONWOLF]

Re: Newer Necks vs. Late 80\'s Necks

There`s a couple of points I would like to raise, first of all, I would have to agree with Charvel 750 in that I also prefer the late `80`s necks. I`ve got a Soloist and an Archtop Soloist from `89 and in my opinion, they are thinner in depth than the more recent Soloists that I have owned/tried. The thinnest of all of my necks though, has to be on my `97 DK1. IMHO, it is very similar to an Ibanez wizard neck although of much better quality. (I do have a JEM 77 at work which has a similar neck as far as dimensions to my `89 Soloist) The other point is regarding Japanese Charvels. I`ve owned a Model 6 and a 650XL (as well as a 3, 3DR, and a couple of 4`s), and they both had nice thin necks although a friend of mine has a Model 5 which has one of the fatest necks that I have ever played!!!! I can`t believe it`s a Charvel!!! I don`t know why there is such a variation between similar instruments from the same factory.
Cheers
Steve.

[MarkW]

Re: Newer Necks vs. Late 80\'s Necks

Just wanted to say thanks to Sunbane for the interesting reply.

The comments about alternative / unconventional vibrato styles are really interesting. As a youngster my main influence was Ritchie Blackmore, but although his style is very apparent in most aspects of my playing (albeit at a very different standard), his vibrato method always seemed very odd to me. I think he has a beautiful vibrato, but I've certainly never tried to play that way. He seems to have a much looser approach (much as a have to adopt on the fatter-necked Charvel) in which the thumb can come right off the neck altogether, and the fretting fingers float freely in a circular motion on the string. It seems to work for him.

Anyway, that's my last word on the subject - as I'm aware I'm slightly "off-topic". I'm pleased to say the Model 6 is feeling a little more comfortable to me now - mainly since I had a ganglion on my left wrist aspirated a couple of weeks ago. A problem I really should have had seen to long ago. If you have a similar problem, I'd say don't suffer in silence and don't listen to anyone who says, "Let it go in its own time". I'd steer clear of surgery if possible, but lancing the thing seemed to work fine.

Mark

[Jim Shine]

Re: Newer Necks vs. Late 80\'s Necks

Jacksons vary in weight just as much as Fender's do. I have a Strat style Jackson that weighs 9 pounds (boatanchor!) and another Strat style that weighs 6 and a half pounds (the same as my '58 Strat). Its all about the wood, not the manufacturer.

If you are hip to vintage Pre-CBS Fender's, I would say the Soloist neck is alot like a '59-'61 Fender neck with a flatter radius and fat frets.

[ February 24, 2003, 02:16 PM: Message edited by: Jim Shine ]

[JDA]

Re: Newer Necks vs. Late 80\'s Necks

Thanks again for the replies!

I did find a local dealer today, but they don't stock the USA models.

I did check out the DK2 which I believe is a Japan import. It was a bolt-on neck with rosewood fretboard.

To be honest, I didn't care that much for it. It was an okay guitar, but nothing I would buy for myself. The neck just didn't compare to the late 80's USA model that I had played in the past. It was like the back of the neck could have been smoother.

Here is a question for people that has played both the DK1 USA model and the DK2. Do the necks on these two models have the same type feel and are the necks the same size and profile?

I know the USA have ebony fretboards where as the DK2 had a rosewood fretboard.

I'm hoping the current USA models are much better than the DK2 I played.

Thanks [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ February 24, 2003, 10:45 PM: Message edited by: JDA ]

[xenophobe]

Re: Newer Necks vs. Late 80\'s Necks

Originally posted by MarkW:
Hi, folks. Hope it's OK contributing on this topic. It's one close to my heart, although my example is actually in relation to the late 80s Japanese through-neck Charvels (Model 6) that were essentially mass-produced foreign-made Jackson Soloist copies.

I have one which I love dearly, but which poses the same dilemma for me as "Xenophobe" has with his Archtop - although it plays very smoothly (I don't mind the finished neck at all), there's something about the neck profile that makes it tiring to play for me.

Mark

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well, they were made in some numbers, but they were made in pretty much the same fashion as the USA guitars in that time.

Many of the model 5 and 6 neckthrus and even the bolt-ons had different profiles too. The necks on these are finished by hand, just as the USAs are.

I've felt really thick modern-era soloist type necks, and super thin ones on Model 6's. Just luck of the draw really.