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I've been a bit inspired by the Charvel Model series threads lately, so I decided to start this and stop derailing Kamanda~SD's NGD thread. I have a similar if smaller family than his; my first was a 1986 Model 4 acquired in 2003 or 2004, I also have a Model 1A and most of a Model 2. The Model 2 was originally a 1987 Model 1, and left the factory looking like this except for an open-coil pickup:
I don't remember which model the pickup is, but I still have it in a box somewhere. From what I've read the guitar was probably converted to a Model 2 at the IMC shop in Fort Worth around the same time as the Model 5A -> 5FX reworking in '88 or '89. A previous owner painted over the red with purple/green automotive chameleon paint, but it was peeling badly when I bought it for $79 in 2004 or 2005. The color was pretty similar to this, and it's a shame that it didn't take.
The body also didn't have a neck angle since it was originally set up with a 6-bolt bridge. I don't know if it was never shimmed or if the shim was somehow lost, but the action above the 12th fret was completely unplayable; it had to be at least 3-4mm. Right after buying it I shimmed the neck to fix the unplayable action and opened up the route for an OFR since I didn't like the JT-6 that was on there. I also swapped the pickup since I had a few spare SDs laying around and the stock pickup didn't really blow me away. I played it like that for a few months until the finish deteriorated to the point that I had to do something... That ended up being a neck swap with my Model 4, stripping the finish on this body, and routing it HSS. I admittedly had no idea what I was doing, and that refin attempt did not end well. I moved shortly thereafter and left the body sitting in my Dad's basement where he decided to re-strip it properly if a bit too thoroughly. It's been in this state for the last decade or so:
The body's in pretty decent shape except for a few small dents; those black marks are mineral streaks in the basswood. I've thought about selling it a bunch of times since I need another guitar like a hole in the head, but I'm attached to this guitar for some reason and haven't been able to do it. With all of these recent Charvel threads, I've thought more about this build in the last 3 months than in the previous 9 or so years. In terms of finish, I definitely want to do something like this, but with black hardware:
I'm hoping that Swampy is still doing swirl finishes because I don't know if I can bring myself to drop $400 for a pro job. Beyond that I'm not really sure. I've thought about EMGs, but I don't really like them except for bass. I've lately been intrigued by the Parallel Axis Distortion, but I'm torn about the other pickup(s). I have a Cool Rails in the neck of my Model 4, and I'd really like to do something different with this. I'm also not really a Strat guy, so true singles are out and I'm leaning toward routing it H-H and filling the middle cavity. If I do that, I'll probably try the Parallel Axis set first and go from there. I'm definitely going with a Gotoh Floyd Rose, EVH D-Tuna, FU-Tone trem stopper, and a Kahler 5521 locknut. I've got a bunch of projects in the works, so I don't see this shaping up super quickly. I mostly wanted to get my thoughts down and figure out where to go with it.
I don't remember which model the pickup is, but I still have it in a box somewhere. From what I've read the guitar was probably converted to a Model 2 at the IMC shop in Fort Worth around the same time as the Model 5A -> 5FX reworking in '88 or '89. A previous owner painted over the red with purple/green automotive chameleon paint, but it was peeling badly when I bought it for $79 in 2004 or 2005. The color was pretty similar to this, and it's a shame that it didn't take.
The body also didn't have a neck angle since it was originally set up with a 6-bolt bridge. I don't know if it was never shimmed or if the shim was somehow lost, but the action above the 12th fret was completely unplayable; it had to be at least 3-4mm. Right after buying it I shimmed the neck to fix the unplayable action and opened up the route for an OFR since I didn't like the JT-6 that was on there. I also swapped the pickup since I had a few spare SDs laying around and the stock pickup didn't really blow me away. I played it like that for a few months until the finish deteriorated to the point that I had to do something... That ended up being a neck swap with my Model 4, stripping the finish on this body, and routing it HSS. I admittedly had no idea what I was doing, and that refin attempt did not end well. I moved shortly thereafter and left the body sitting in my Dad's basement where he decided to re-strip it properly if a bit too thoroughly. It's been in this state for the last decade or so:
The body's in pretty decent shape except for a few small dents; those black marks are mineral streaks in the basswood. I've thought about selling it a bunch of times since I need another guitar like a hole in the head, but I'm attached to this guitar for some reason and haven't been able to do it. With all of these recent Charvel threads, I've thought more about this build in the last 3 months than in the previous 9 or so years. In terms of finish, I definitely want to do something like this, but with black hardware:
I'm hoping that Swampy is still doing swirl finishes because I don't know if I can bring myself to drop $400 for a pro job. Beyond that I'm not really sure. I've thought about EMGs, but I don't really like them except for bass. I've lately been intrigued by the Parallel Axis Distortion, but I'm torn about the other pickup(s). I have a Cool Rails in the neck of my Model 4, and I'd really like to do something different with this. I'm also not really a Strat guy, so true singles are out and I'm leaning toward routing it H-H and filling the middle cavity. If I do that, I'll probably try the Parallel Axis set first and go from there. I'm definitely going with a Gotoh Floyd Rose, EVH D-Tuna, FU-Tone trem stopper, and a Kahler 5521 locknut. I've got a bunch of projects in the works, so I don't see this shaping up super quickly. I mostly wanted to get my thoughts down and figure out where to go with it.
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