San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

[oldschoolrock]

What is the hype about these guitars? Some people seem to covet these guitars. I have a San Dimas Soloist (Serial # J1935) and it seems no better then the 2000 Model that I have in terms of playability and tone.

I never even knew there was a hype until I read something about these guitars being hard to find. I for one do not give a rip if a guitar is hard to find unless the guitar was truly special in someway (limited run with better tone, played by some famous guitarist, etc). The new ones sound and play just as good so what is the deal?

Is it a better cut of wood? Better Crafstmanship? Like I said I have a new and a old and I don't see a big diff. I like the new ones better cause the old one had these Jackson Pickups which I did not like and replaced with a PJ Marx. It also has a Kahler Fulcrum which I really do not like but cannot replace. I would swap it for a Floyd Rose in a heart beat if someone could do it.

Does anyone have any insight??

Obviously I am interested to know because I have an old one and just wondering if it was worth anything special. Not that I would sell it I still love that San Dimas guitar.

Thanks in Advance!!

 

[Zerberus]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

Much of the mojo is the fact that each guitar was built to order...

Part of it is certainly that many of us grew up with Charvels being ever prevalent in videos (Ratt, early VH, Stryper, Steve Vai, Jake E Lee, Warren D. and Blackie Lawless,.....), antd so it becomes a "that´s what I always wanted" thing as well...

Part of it is the very unique neck profiles that many to this day feel are the ultimate in playability (though the profiles are not as unique today w/ all the clones, most notably GMW)

Part of is is the fact that there are about 6500 San Dimas guitar in total between J/C, and likely under 1000 prepro CHarvels.... of those probably half have been parted out or destroyed...

Part of it is that the San Dimas and to a lesser extent the early Ontarios have features that today are only available through the CS...

And there are other factors as well...

You´ve probably noticed that while your 2 soloists may seem similar at first glance, there are some differences that add up to a different feel (not better or worse, just different) and vibe, like the neck angle of the SD.

For more in depth info: www.usacharvels.com

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

I've got a '95 USA Charvel San Dimas Strat reissue & the neck is really very nice...very comfortable to play.

I'd love to try one of the earlier models...if for anything, just to see what the difference might be.

 

[AzCat]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

IIRC most of the San Dimas RRs have 3-piece necks with no scarf joint which is a somewhat unusual construction option on a pointy headed guitar. The bound San Dimas usually feature binding over the fret ends which is a nice touch but doesn't add much other than in terms of appearance. The San Dimas Jacksons I've owned over the years have ranged from very good to unbelievable, your odds of getting an excellent instrument when buying sight unseen are very high with them.

 

[vinterland]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

I've got a '95 USA Charvel San Dimas Strat reissue & the neck is really very nice...very comfortable to play.

I'd love to try one of the earlier models...if for anything, just to see what the difference might be.

I've got an SDII on its way. I'm also curious to see how it compares to the earlier ones as well. Some say its alike, others completely disagree.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

big part of the reason i Love early Charvels is the necks..... they were great! But even bigger part is like Zerbus said.... my 80's guitar hero's used them!

 

[jmh151]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

The San Dimas models had thicker slab ebony fingerboards, and as Azcat pointed out, no scarf joint, they were 3 piece necks. San Dimas Charvels had oiled necks which played faster, whereas more other guitar manufacturers like Fender painted their necks.

I played a 1985 San Dimas Dinky (ssh) at Guitar Center recently and hated it- it had a bulky neck heel which felt larger than Fender.

I also played a few Wayne Charvels recently at The Music Zoo- those have the necks of the original Charvels and are worth the hype

 

[Zerberus]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

The San Dimas models had thicker slab ebony fingerboards, and as Azcat pointed out, no scarf joint, they were 3 piece necks.

The thickness of the boards is to this day one of the J/C hallmarks, the board on my Soloist is actually THICKER than on many of the SDs Ive seen

The 3 piece necks were only on neckthrus (of which very few true SD examples exist), stratheads were one piece and pointies have a scarf joint

I played a 1985 San Dimas Dinky (ssh) at Guitar Center recently and hated it- it had a bulky neck heel which felt larger than Fender.

If you can help me acquire this guitar I would be thankful

I also played a few Wayne Charvels recently at The Music Zoo- those have the necks of the original Charvels and are worth the hype

The new San Dimas Pointies play exactly the same as every San Dimas pointy new or old I´ve ever felt. The Strathead specs were always all over the board, there are at least 5 known strathead profiles....

Wayne definitely makes top notch replicas IMO ....but for me they will always stay replicas, because until Grover took over Charvel had never EVER built a single neck or body, they were all sourced from outside companies such as Mighty Mite, Schecter or Boogie Bodies...There is no such thing as a Wayne Charvel built Prepro or San Dimas Charvel, "Wayne Charvel assembled" maybe

 

[WhoFan]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

The thickness of the boards is to this day one of the J/C hallmarks, the board on my Soloist is actually THICKER than on many of the SDs Ive seen

The 3 piece necks were only on neckthrus (of which very few true SD examples exist), stratheads were one piece and pointies have a scarf joint


If you can help me acquire this guitar I would be thankful



The new San Dimas Pointies play exactly the same as every San Dimas pointy new or old I´ve ever felt. The Strathead specs were always all over the board, there are at least 5 known strathead profiles....

Wayne definitely makes top notch replicas IMO ....but for me they will always stay replicas, because until Grover took over Charvel had never EVER built a single neck or body, they were all sourced from outside companies such as Mighty Mite, Schecter or Boogie Bodies...There is no such thing as a Wayne Charvel built Prepro or San Dimas Charvel, "Wayne Charvel assembled" maybe

Woooo...... That is news i never heard before... Wayne never made bodies and necks himself back then??!?!?!

 

[Zerberus]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

That´s actually one of the biggest Myths of the whole thing... Grover bought Charvel in 1978, as a near bankrupt "repair and mod shop".

The First "real" Charvels were put together by Mike Eldred and Tim Wilson for NAMM in 1979, and even here the necks were not yet "homemade" but sourced from Lynn Ellsworth at Boogie Bodies

And around March came 2 Onsrud Pin Routers (Actually they´d been around forever, but Grovger seemed to have problems finding the proper bits) and the first Charvel produced necks and bodies, .... this was still long years before serialized production, but therse were teh first Prepros...Like EVH´s VHII for example

 

[jmh151]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

The thickness of the boards is to this day one of the J/C hallmarks, the board on my Soloist is actually THICKER than on many of the SDs Ive seen

The 3 piece necks were only on neckthrus (of which very few true SD examples exist), stratheads were one piece and pointies have a scarf joint


If you can help me acquire this guitar I would be thankful



QUOTE]

Too late. It was a bolt on Jackson, white, three pickup switches. The fretboard sides were very square, not rounded and comfortable. Thick neck joint.

So basically if Zerb is right about the origin of the San Dimas Charvels, I could just order Warmoth parts and make my own. Warmoth, Mighty Mite, and Boogie Bodies were supposedly all the same company in the beginning and then they split up

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

I've got an SDII on its way. I'm also curious to see how it compares to the earlier ones as well. Some say its alike, others completely disagree.

Let us know what ya' think!

Every time I think I'm gonna sell mine, I sit down to play it & remember how nice the neck is.

Very comfy neck/player :bigthumb:

 

[Zerberus]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

So basically if Zerb is right about the origin of the San Dimas Charvels, I could just order Warmoth parts and make my own. Warmoth, Mighty Mite, and Boogie Bodies were supposedly all the same company in the beginning and then they split up

You could theoretically and practically make your own "Pre Pre-pro".. the Charvel neck profiles are a bit different from the ones currently offered by MM and Warmoth, as they quite literally evolved from them (though those have also evolved a bit over the years, but they´re still not the same).

Charvel body contours are also slightly different from those of a standard strat, which is what you´ll get from Warmoth or MM - Deeper tummy cut and forearm contour most notably on the Charvels

But Mighty Mite, Schecter, Charvel, and Boogie Bodies were never the same company, I think you misunderstood something there ... while they all worked together very closely under the IMC banner in the early ´80s, most notably by Charvel sourcing parts from the others before their own production started (necks and Bodies Boogie, Hardware Schecter or MM), but they were very separate companies

BTW, Imo the Reissues are, much like my ´90 CS Strathead, a "modernized version"... I personall find them great guitars, and the neck profiles are very "SD-like". The purists were mostly pissed about the recessed trems and different headstock from my experience. But they can now buy a new strathead or pointy, so they should finally start shutting up and putting their money where their mouths are

 

[vinterland]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

Let us know what ya' think!

Every time I think I'm gonna sell mine, I sit down to play it & remember how nice the neck is.

Very comfy neck/player :bigthumb:

It's arriving today so I'll get a review out soon and maybe some pics.

 

[Gamera]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

I think most of the "hype" is an emotional thing. Like Zerb said, it's what many grew up seeing and wanting. Now that those folks are all grown up and have a little cash they want the original.

Take Strats for example. It's widely considered that CBS 70's Strats with their 3-bolt necks and giant headstocks were some of the worst ever made. But for someone who grew up watching the Jimi's, Blackmore's and Yngwie's play them it's not unusual to see an early 70's white/maple Strat go for over $10,000 now.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

NICE :beerchug:

Which one did ya' get?

I was a big Warren DiMartini fan....would love one of those snakeskin jobs :32:

 

[Zerberus]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

Dito on WArren.. But I think Frenchie is more my style

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

:beerchug:

 

[Davey]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

i want a crossed swords one

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: San Dimas and Early Ontario Jacksons - What is the Hype??

You could theoretically and practically make your own "Pre Pre-pro".. the Charvel neck profiles are a bit different from the ones currently offered by MM and Warmoth, as they quite literally evolved from them (though those have also evolved a bit over the years, but they´re still not the same).

Charvel body contours are also slightly different from those of a standard strat, which is what you´ll get from Warmoth or MM - Deeper tummy cut and forearm contour most notably on the Charvels

My 81 doesn't have particularly deep contours. Most of the Warmoth bodies I've seen have deeper contours, but my buddy Mark's white 83 pointy had deeper contours than mine.

However, the basic thing that brought Charvel to the top of the heap was how the necks played and felt. If you have played a real 50's strat you would know that neck is not suitable for string bending and other modern playing techniques. A Charvel neck played like a dream. No other guitar including the best Gibsons could match em. The action at the first fret, seventh fret,...ect.. all the way up was consistant. It was low, but there were absolutely no buzzing or double fretting....It was down to the set up and fret work... but also they had dimensions, profiles..ect that were more suitable to modern playing styles. The thing about Charvel prior to 85 was how in touch with grass roots players they were. I recall talking on the phone personaly with the people prior to 85. They were getting a lot of feedback on functionality of design, neck profiles, and "looks" from players, and they didn't care if you were famous or not. It was a great time for electric guitar, and those San Dimas guitars that are from that era invoke the spirit of that time. No other guitar can really do that.