Three generations of USA Charvels

[Chubtone]

Just took a little group picture of my current Charvels. This picture is way down number-wise from my heyday of collecting Charvels from 1984-1997, but I really dig all four of these guitars and the money made from my original (and semi-famous in the Charvel world) sell off of early Charvels is sitting in the garage and makes me not miss the guitars too much.

Anyway, here is what I have now.

1980 pre-production strat head mahogany with maple 21 fret neck with brass side dots and rosewood fret markers. I bought it at a pawn shop in 1986 for $275. I watched this guitar hang on the wall in that pawn shop for almost a year at $350 before I finally said "what the heck?" and offered $275. At that time, in LA, nobody wanted strat heads. It was all about the pointys.

1984 Candy Purple pointy. Old faithful. The start of my Charvel addiction. I bought it new in 1984 at Guitar Center Chicago for $864 counting tax and case. Added Floyd and neck single coil sometime over the years. Dave Anderson (who was pictured in that famous Charvel ad from the early 80's with the room full of Charvel endorsees)from the band Eric Steel helped me pick out the best one on the wall at GC that day. He was friends with my guitar teacher and kind of took me under his wing for the months I drooled over the Charvels at GC, while delivering pizzas and saving every penny for my big day. Every gig I ever did in Chicago or LA was done with this guitar and every recording too. This guitar sounds sick!

The other two are new ones. Pre 1st batch USA production models with serial numbers in the 8000's instead of the 6 digit numbers the 1st batch released models have.

 

[Chubtone]

Here's a couple of pics of my candy tangerine So Cal with all chrome hardware and my employees zebra pickup Pagan Gold Tele.

And my black one too with shiny pickup rings and new shiny knob and Duncan Custom in the bridge.

 

[Chubtone]

Dave Anderson from Eric Steel. #04 in this ad.

 

[TOStudent]

I remember that ad and just DREAMING about getting a Jackson.
Finally did and after 5 of them.
Finally woke up and got a ...............................Charvel!!!!! LOL

 

[thenine]

beautiful!!!!!!!

 

[Chubtone]

I remember that ad and just DREAMING about getting a Jackson.
Finally did and after 5 of them.
Finally woke up and got a ...............................Charvel!!!!! LOL

I hear you man. I owned several Jacksons over the years and was always trying to make one of them my number one guitar. I would practice on them all the time, take them to rehearsal, even soundcheck with them and just ignore the purple Charvel. Then about 2 minutes before show time and the nerves would be rising, I'd grab the purple one like it was some sort of safety blanket and just play 90%-100% of the show with it. Every time.

One time, we were playing a very large headlining gig at the Roxy on a Fri or Sat night. I had just joined this band that were already headliners and they were used to the crowds they drew, but I wasn't. For some reason I was determined not to rely on that damn Charvel as my safety crutch. So I went on stage with a bolt on neck, USA Jackson the exact same color as my Charvel. I kid you not, with the excitement, I popped a string on either the first or second chord of the 1st song and it was purple Charvel again the rest of the night. I finally came to grips with the fact that if something happened to that guitar I'd curl up into the fetal position and spend the rest of my days as a mental patient.

So, uh ask me about the day one of my employees hooked the trem bar on the Charvel with the vacuum cleaner cord and pulled the whole guitar off the stand, slamming the headstock into the ground and snapping it clean off.

 

[MrDan666]

So, uh ask me about the day one of my employees hooked the trem bar on the Charvel with the vacuum cleaner cord and pulled the whole guitar off the stand, slamming the headstock into the ground and snapping it clean off.

 

[Digital Jams]

It is funny to read the stories from the 80s crew how they were saving every penny back then to grab a great guitar and what they were doing to make the money and then you read the spam threads today involving $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ gear from guys with pretty much no jobs whatsoever

I remember going into the local shred shop here, creative strings where Jimi Bell worked out of, rows of Jackson, Charvel, basement PRS, Kramer, etc...........I remember seeing the first run of Ibanez LNG Jems and Kramer Nightswans drooling BAck then I could have bought 3 Les Pauls for the price of that JEM

My goto back then though was a bass as that is what I was slinging back then and I was the oddball running around with a Rick 4001 while everyone else was killing for Spectors, Jacksons, and every now and then you would see some fucker with a Pedula.

 

[ratter]

The chrome hardware on the tangerine totally puts that guitar over the top, IMO. Much much cooler than the black hardware...

 

[Gainfreak]

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Dave Anderson from Eric Steel. #04 in this ad.

Ahh...the memories! Poor Oz got the shaft in this pic

 

[ttosh]

Dave Anderson from Eric Steel. #04 in this ad.

Ahh...the memories! Poor Oz got the shaft in this pic

I was thinking the same thing about Oz, LOL.

 

[squealie]

It is funny to read the stories from the 80s crew how they were saving every penny back then to grab a great guitar and what they were doing to make the money and then you read the spam threads today involving $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ gear from guys with pretty much no jobs whatsoever

Ain't that the truth.

I remember saving for months, borrowing from my GF, and trading in everything I could stand to lose, to get my first ADA MP-1.

 

[Anonymous]

Steve

 

[Scott Ians Beard]

Love that pointy. Id call dibs but you'll never sell! Cool stories too (except for the vacuum incident!)

 

[vultures]

Nice collection dude, now all you need is the toothpaste Charvel logo

 

[Fiesta Red]

Chubtone,

The USA Production model I briefly owned was very light and resonant. Is this the case with yours, or do you find them each different?

 

[Chubtone]

Chubtone,

The USA Production model I briefly owned was very light and resonant. Is this the case with yours, or do you find them each different?

They are all a tiny bit different but have been consitently very good sounding. Both of mine are on the lighter side, about 7.5-8 pounds I'd guess and they both sound really good.

 

[goldwing68nv]

Dave Anderson from Eric Steel. #04 in this ad.

yep,there's Dave from Eric Steel...wow,been a LONG time since i've seen that guy's face...always cherish the memories of going down to the Chicago-northside Guitar Center,back in the early 80's,and watchin' that guy jam out thru a fullstack of Marshall's and a Charvel,of course...thanks for the pic,"liddle" chubster!

 

[rsm]

My goto back then though was a bass as that is what I was slinging back then and I was the oddball running around with a Rick 4001 while everyone else was killing for Spectors, Jacksons, and every now and then you would see some fucker with a Pedula.

In Connecticut? Did you get a JetGlo Ric 4001 with checkerboard binding from Daddy's? Only guitar I regretted selling wish I had it now! Sold it on consignment at Daddy's in New Britain. Big F***IN mistake!

Waiting two years and counting for a new 4003!