Are you a vintage Charvel expert? What do you think?

Interesting. I’ll wait for someone who knows more than me.
Not much info in that ad.
That fingerboard dirt in terrible. Who lets dirt build up like that? Weird.
Price is reasonable if that’s a stock guitar.
 
japetus said:
Would it be normal for that guitar to have a Licensed Floyd?
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It wouldn’t even have any type of double locking Floyd stock in 1981. That said for a top mount Floyd the pocket needs a neck angle, so any retrofit would need substantial shimming in the neck
 
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Joe-TX said:
Lots of pre pro Charvels had locking trems installed later on. Some things on it look legit but you never know.
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Yep. Very few Charvels came with Floyds stock, but lots of them had them retrofitted. All of the early ones I've seen had original Floyds on since that was all that was available at the time. That doesn't mean someone didn't add something else later on to one. I'd want a pic of the Floyd install. It'll have to be a retro-fit.

The Jackson-Charvel forum still exists - slow, but not totally dead. I'd ask there before dropping any coin on this. My gut-feel is it's a parts'o'mutt with a Charvel logo slapped on there, but I'm far from an expert, especially with the star body.
 
rstites said:
Yep. Very few Charvels came with Floyds stock, but lots of them had them retrofitted. All of the early ones I've seen had original Floyds on since that was all that was available at the time. That doesn't mean someone didn't add something else later on to one. I'd want a pic of the Floyd install. It'll have to be a retro-fit.

The Jackson-Charvel forum still exists - slow, but not totally dead. I'd ask there before dropping any coin on this. My gut-feel is it's a parts'o'mutt with a Charvel logo slapped on there, but I'm far from an expert, especially with the star body.
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By 1982 they were on a large majority of them
 
panhead said:
By 1982 they were on a large majority of them
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Floyds retro-fitted, possibly, but Floyds on Charvels from the factory were fairly rare. You find lots of San Dimas era Charvels that came from the factory with Kahlers through the end of the original USA run. Either that, or they came with vintage brass trems and you'd retro-fit a Floyd on them.

There was some kind of exclusivity deal at the time with Floyds that made them a PITA to get on lots of manufacturers guitars. I remember a bunch of Gibsons with Kahlers too: Explorers and Les Pauls. The details of all that escape me as I was too poor to buy new US built guitars at the time, so had to search for used ones. (You'd see the big name players with them, but never find them in the store, short of some kind of custom order.)
 
panhead said:
By 1982 they were on a large majority of them
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I think you still had to send your own Floyd in to Charvel if you ordered one. I know once Kramer got the Floyd contract you then had to buy one, pull the Floyd and send it in.
Regarding this one, I had someone reach out and ask me….others here know more like Curt(Chub) but from what I can see the neck looks legit as it has 21 frets, 12th fret markers are spaced correctly (no one else back then did that) and the truss rod, skunk stripe and neck heel/joint markings look right. The logo may not be correct; as Andy said, so it might be a legit pre pro replacement neck from Charvel with a later decal. The body has the later electronics route however, and no neck plate. As said before many Charvels were retrofitted later with Floyd’s/knockoffs so the bridge isn’t a tell. But, if you’re gonna do it why not use an OFR?
So, I think it’s a legit pre pro neck although maybe a replacement; and the body might be Charvel but I’d say production from 83 on.
 
All I remember was a store Audio Light&Musical in Raleigh NC sure had them with floyds and they were 1200 1300 couldnt afford one this was 82
 
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