I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

BartOfDarkness

BartOfDarkness

New member
I'm one of those poor souls that tried a Kahler, loved the d*** thing and searches the internet for hours on end looking more guitars that have them stock. The other day I searched ebay for a Charvel Model 5 (like I do every week), and to my surprise, I found this poor abused thing...
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At first glance I was afraid that it was going to have to be a project and I'd have to track down parts every other week after getting paid, which I wasn't really keen on, but after I clicked on the listing I found that he was including all the original parts! At this point I figured it would be a bargain if I could snag it for around $300 and today I won the action for $320. I'll try to get you guys some better pics whenever it arrives!
 
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Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

Thanks man! I just gotta figure out what pickups I'm throwing in there before I send her into my tech to fix her up... Right now I'm thinking Tone Zone and Humbucker From Hell
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

You cant go wrong with a tone zone imo they are awesome pickups. They can be a bit heavy on the lows in some guitars but i imagine that thing will be ideal.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

Yeah, I'm still sorta wary of that low end, but I feel like it's one of those pickups that you have to try at least once. Then again I've never tried the paf pro either... Ugh too many pickups not enough guitars
 
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Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

BartOfDarkness said:
Yeah, I'm still sorta wary of that low end, but I feel like it's one of those pickups that you have to try at least once. Then again I've never tried the paf pro either... Ugh too many pickups not enough guitars
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The Paf pro kills things and then eats them. I have one in this magical HS charvel mongrel i made.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

Does it have the original Jackson pickups? I had a Model 6, and it's bridge pickup (J-50BC?) was pretty killer, especially paired with the active boost. Also had a Model 2 with a J-90, and liked it as well. Give the stock pickups a shot before going aftermarket.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

Congrats! I'm a Model series addict myself, and that's a good price.

An '86 Model 5...looks like a nice little project.

If it does come with stock pups it would be the J80C...if you have them and don't want them let me know.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

I'm gonna withhold judgement until it is finished.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

JB_From_Hell said:
Does it have the original Jackson pickups? I had a Model 6, and it's bridge pickup (J-50BC?) was pretty killer, especially paired with the active boost. Also had a Model 2 with a J-90, and liked it as well. Give the stock pickups a shot before going aftermarket.
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oooo yeah some of those are mental. I have a j90c usa made i think and it's as good as any.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

I completely forgot how desirable some of these old Jackson pickups are! According to the seller a previous owner modded the hell out of it and he was trying to return it back to stock. I've sent a message asking if he got the actual J80C pickups or if he substituted some other Jackson branded pickup. It doesn't seem to come with the boost as far as I can tell.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

BartOfDarkness said:
I completely forgot how desirable some of these old Jackson pickups are! According to the seller a previous owner modded the hell out of it and he was trying to return it back to stock. I've sent a message asking if he got the actual J80C pickups or if he substituted some other Jackson branded pickup. It doesn't seem to come with the boost as far as I can tell.
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Model 5s didn't have a boost; they only installed those in Model 4s & 6s.

HMgUnTY.jpg

My around-the-house beater guitar is an '86 Model 4 that I pulled the active electronics out of and replaced with a Custom, Cool Rails, 500K volume & 3-way switch. I'm finding the Custom a bit heavy on the lows, so one of these days I'll swap in an A2. Hopefully the Tone Zone works out for you; I find Kahlers tend to be a lot fatter than Floyds, so you may need something a bit less full sounding.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

Congrats! I Love the model series guitars! I especially love the black cherry ones!
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

I heard back from the seller and he said that he thinks they're J80C pickups, but isn't 100% sure. To be honest, I enjoy exploring the DiMarzio catalogue, so either way I'm not going to use them. A lot of you guys seem to have experience with these guitars, so what should I expect from the neck profile? I'm assuming it's going to feel Jackson-ish, but I've actually never played a Charvel before...

dystrust said:
Model 5s didn't have a boost; they only installed those in Model 4s & 6s.

HMgUnTY.jpg

My around-the-house beater guitar is an '86 Model 4 that I pulled the active electronics out of and replaced with a Custom, Cool Rails, 500K volume & 3-way switch. I'm finding the Custom a bit heavy on the lows, so one of these days I'll swap in an A2. Hopefully the Tone Zone works out for you; I find Kahlers tend to be a lot fatter than Floyds, so you may need something a bit less full sounding.
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Sweet looking guitar! I almost pulled the trigger on model 4's multiple times, but I knew I'd end up wanting the two extra frets. You're right about Kahlers being warmer, I have a Jackson with a Kahler and it doesn't have as much bite as my ESP with the floyd, even though all the other specs are pretty much the same. I'll keep it in mind before making my final decision.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

^ What he said. Fun fact is that it will have a compound radius fret-board (12-16"), don't know if you've had a guitar with one before. Not much difference but it keeps things comfortable throughout. Gonna throw out there one more time to PM me if they are in fact J80C's.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

Looks like that will be a fun project and Im really digging that! I forget what that color is called, maybe Root Beer?? (My best friend Dave had a toothpaste logo Charvel bass in that color)

Kahler makes a baseplate shim that is designed to cover the post holes in a stopbar/tailpiece equipped guitar. I think they are available in a thin and a thick size. However, being its a neckthru you wont be able to shim the neck, just in case that bridge shim would raise your Kahler up too high and you cant lower your saddle enough to compensate.
That may not be the case, but if you check into the dimensions and do some measuring you can figure out if itll work for you.
It would certainly save you some work for now...

Just by chance your u arent already aware, here is a site that has alot of cool info about the Model series, among other stuff.
http://audiozone.dk/index-filer/charvel-japan-import-guitars.php#charvel_japan_1986-1991
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

metalchurch79 said:
Looks like that will be a fun project and Im really digging that! I forget what that color is called, maybe Root Beer?? (My best friend Dave had a toothpaste logo Charvel bass in that color)
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Black Cherry as BloodRose stated (as per the '86 catalog)
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

BartOfDarkness said:
A lot of you guys seem to have experience with these guitars, so what should I expect from the neck profile? I'm assuming it's going to feel Jackson-ish, but I've actually never played a Charvel before...
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I have three 80s MIJ Charvels; an '86 Model 4, '87 Model 1A, and '88 Model 2. The Model 2 has been disassembled since about 2005; that's actually the Model 2 neck on the Model 4 body in the pic I posted. The necks on these feel similar to San Dimas Charvels, or mid/late 80s bolt-on Jacksons with the exception of a poly finish. Many but not all San Dimas Charvels & bolt-on Jacksons have oil-finished necks.

The necks on Model 5s & 6s feel like a Jackson Soloist which is a bit thicker than the bolt-ons. In terms of specs they essentially are a Japanese-made Soloist; the biggest difference is the rosewood board instead of ebony. All of the model series MIJ Charvels are 1 11/16" at the nut and have a thin-ish C backshape.
 
Re: I have no self control... (Charvel Content)

metalchurch79 said:
Looks like that will be a fun project and Im really digging that! I forget what that color is called, maybe Root Beer?? (My best friend Dave had a toothpaste logo Charvel bass in that color)

Kahler makes a baseplate shim that is designed to cover the post holes in a stopbar/tailpiece equipped guitar. I think they are available in a thin and a thick size. However, being its a neckthru you wont be able to shim the neck, just in case that bridge shim would raise your Kahler up too high and you cant lower your saddle enough to compensate.
That may not be the case, but if you check into the dimensions and do some measuring you can figure out if itll work for you.
It would certainly save you some work for now...

Just by chance your u arent already aware, here is a site that has alot of cool info about the Model series, among other stuff.
http://audiozone.dk/index-filer/charvel-japan-import-guitars.php#charvel_japan_1986-1991
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Funny, that website is actually what made me aware of the old MIJ Charvels and Jacksons! I should mention that this isn't going to be my project really. I used to work on my guitars myself, but I know my guitar tech will do a much better job than I will, so I'm just going to throw it his way and tell him to do his thing. He did a stellar job putting my Jackson Dinky together last year and I've been having him do all my projects and setups since. I appreciate all the info though

Kamanda~SD said:
^ What he said. Fun fact is that it will have a compound radius fret-board (12-16"), don't know if you've had a guitar with one before. Not much difference but it keeps things comfortable throughout. Gonna throw out there one more time to PM me if they are in fact J80C's.
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If I can confirm they're J80C's you've got first dibs ;) Thanks for mentioning the compound radius, I think my Jackson dinky has a compound radius and it's one of my favorite necks.

dystrust said:
The necks on Model 5s & 6s feel like a Jackson Soloist which is a bit thicker than the bolt-ons. In terms of specs they essentially are a Japanese-made Soloist; the biggest difference is the rosewood board instead of ebony. All of the model series MIJ Charvels are 1 11/16" at the nut and have a thin-ish C backshape.
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I was hoping it would be like a soloist when I bought it, so this has me excited! I had always wanted a Jackson soloist with the Kahler like what Jeff Hanneman had before swapping to ESP, but they're pretty rare and go for more than I can justify spending...
 
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