Any Charvel experts on here?
Discussion
Hi all,
I've just picked up this Charvel guitar from an old colleague who was disposing of some equipment and neither of us are too sure about what model it is. Pics below seem to suggest it's somewhere between a model 3 or 4. It has SSH pickups, & the rear battery panel of a boosted, later model, but not the 3 additional selector switches on the front: just an extra tone pot & 5 way selector. This is my first guitar & the previous owner hadn't used it for many years & didn't in fact know what model it was, let alone about the boost/amp capability! So:
how does it work?
What does it do?
What logic is there to the pickup selector?
I presume its the H pickup that's "active" & can be combined with the others using the selector & then the extra tone pot controls the level of boost.
If that's the case, how do I tell?
I know some of these might be daft questions but this is my first guitar & my first step will be to change the battery & give it a clean, but any pointers would be appreciated.
Also first time I've posted pics on PH, so apologies if that doesn't work. Again, directions would be useful.
Chs all. CF
I've just picked up this Charvel guitar from an old colleague who was disposing of some equipment and neither of us are too sure about what model it is. Pics below seem to suggest it's somewhere between a model 3 or 4. It has SSH pickups, & the rear battery panel of a boosted, later model, but not the 3 additional selector switches on the front: just an extra tone pot & 5 way selector. This is my first guitar & the previous owner hadn't used it for many years & didn't in fact know what model it was, let alone about the boost/amp capability! So:
how does it work?
What does it do?
What logic is there to the pickup selector?
I presume its the H pickup that's "active" & can be combined with the others using the selector & then the extra tone pot controls the level of boost.
If that's the case, how do I tell?
I know some of these might be daft questions but this is my first guitar & my first step will be to change the battery & give it a clean, but any pointers would be appreciated.
Also first time I've posted pics on PH, so apologies if that doesn't work. Again, directions would be useful.
Chs all. CF
Five way switch as normal towards the neck is the neck, towards the bridge is the bridge. Knob nearest the neck is volume, then tone, then the mid boost. The mid boost is the active bit, and is always on, independent of which pickup is selected.
The single coils are actually stacked humbuckers.
Pull the jack out of the socket when you are not playing, or else the battery will discharge all the time and will soon be flat.
The single coils are actually stacked humbuckers.
Pull the jack out of the socket when you are not playing, or else the battery will discharge all the time and will soon be flat.
[quote=gazza285]Five way switch as normal towards the neck is the neck, towards the bridge is the bridge. Knob nearest the neck is volume, then tone, then the mid boost. The mid boost is the active bit, and is always on, independent of which pickup is selected.
The single coils are actually stacked humbuckers.
Pull the jack out of the socket when you are not playing, or else the battery will discharge all the time and will soon be flat.[/qu
Fantastic,
Excellent info. Much appreciated. Chs CF
The single coils are actually stacked humbuckers.
Pull the jack out of the socket when you are not playing, or else the battery will discharge all the time and will soon be flat.[/qu
Fantastic,
Excellent info. Much appreciated. Chs CF
Hanslow said:
If you don't get on with it and want to shift it on give me a shout. I've a thing for old 80s guitars that frequently appeared in Metal Hammer and Kerrang magazines.
Hi Hanslow,Hopefully a keeper for me, but I’ll be sure to give you a shout if things don’t work out. Appreciate the interest.
Chs, CF
Sure does look a keeper, for a guitar of that vintage it looks in fantastic condition. Hopefully it'll give you many happy hours of noodling 
I wish I'd got my hands on an old model 4 or 6 before the prices went through the roof. The 475 did away with the switches and changed to the much more sensible, and probably cost efficient, 5 way selector switch. There's something about switches though...one day I'll get myself a model 4.
Have fun with it.
I wish I'd got my hands on an old model 4 or 6 before the prices went through the roof. The 475 did away with the switches and changed to the much more sensible, and probably cost efficient, 5 way selector switch. There's something about switches though...one day I'll get myself a model 4.
Have fun with it.
Hanslow said:
Sure does look a keeper, for a guitar of that vintage it looks in fantastic condition. Hopefully it'll give you many happy hours of noodling
I wish I'd got my hands on an old model 4 or 6 before the prices went through the roof. The 475 did away with the switches and changed to the much more sensible, and probably cost efficient, 5 way selector switch. There's something about switches though...one day I'll get myself a model 4.
Have fun with it.
I had a Model 4 back in the day, I gigged it quite a bit, but never really gelled with the neck profile, it always felt too square in my hand. It was a thin and fast neck, but just didn't feel rounded enough. All my other guitars had 24&3/4" scale lengths as well, so the string tension always felt wrong. I wish I'd got my hands on an old model 4 or 6 before the prices went through the roof. The 475 did away with the switches and changed to the much more sensible, and probably cost efficient, 5 way selector switch. There's something about switches though...one day I'll get myself a model 4.
Have fun with it.
I did prefer the old logo, the toothpaste logo was too shouty for my liking.
Hanslow said:
Sure does look a keeper, for a guitar of that vintage it looks in fantastic condition. Hopefully it'll give you many happy hours of noodling
I wish I'd got my hands on an old model 4 or 6 before the prices went through the roof. The 475 did away with the switches and changed to the much more sensible, and probably cost efficient, 5 way selector switch. There's something about switches though...one day I'll get myself a model 4.
Have fun with it.
Thanks. I don’t think it’s seen much in the way of active service for a long while, but was used a lot for more than 10 years & has picked up a few nicks along the way. Nothing that needs attention & I’d prefer to leave the few chips & scratches alone to reflect its life. I wish I'd got my hands on an old model 4 or 6 before the prices went through the roof. The 475 did away with the switches and changed to the much more sensible, and probably cost efficient, 5 way selector switch. There's something about switches though...one day I'll get myself a model 4.
Have fun with it.
Chs, CF
Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff