What's under the cover?

[stratobastard]

does anyone know what pickups were put in the HSS Charvette?
or how they were wired?

I have this old beat-up Charvette that sounds awesome, I originally bought it as a beater, but after cleaning it & getting a proper set-up, it's really comfortable to play & sounds great. The singles have no hum what so ever, the thing is dead silent, are they stacked pups? is it the wiring?

Since I got this 1, I've probably played about 30 or more other Charvettes that i've seen for sale, none of them played or sounded anywhere near as good as this 1, I've never seen 1 with exactly the same appointments as mine, I can't find the exact match in the Blue Book either, so I don't know what model it is.

here's the specs;
reverse headstock
no lower bout cut-out (the body is identical to San Dimas body specs)
HSS
5 way switch
1 volume
1 tone
vintage trem, no locking nut
serial # 009524

any info would be greatly appreciated

 

[stratobastard]

Re: What's under the cover?

no one knows?

 

[Zerberus]

Re: What's under the cover?

the singles ARE stacked Hummies, correct. They are Charvel pickups, similar to the Jackson USA J-200 (SC) and J-50 (HB) pickups of the same era, bu weaker. Wiring should be "standard strat"

The CHarvette Line was ultra-low end. 90% of the guitars are plywood. Some are basswood, some have different PUP configurations, some even have decen JT-6 Floyd Roses. The hard part is finding on with a solid body AND decent hardware.

That said, while the necks are usually great, the rest is almost always cheapo MIK level (which is what they were). As much as I don´t want to say it, ANY MIJ Jackson or Charvel should put it to shame

Price new was between 100 and 250$, used the high end ones sometimes go for just under 150, any more is a shaft.

I remember mine, Deep-blue, JT-6, H-S-S, 5 way, Fusion style lower cutaway scallop. Played real well, but nowhere near my current axes

 

[NT02]

Re: What's under the cover?

Congrats on your find! This is so cool. My first electric was a sky blue Charvette. I still have it, and as a matter of fact, broke it out two nights ago and started jacking with it. I love that guitar and will never get rid of it! It has the hss configuration with a 5-way switch, the neck plate has an address from right here in Ft. Worth, TX, licensed by floyd rose locking trem (smaller one, not like the longer type original floyds), and the pickups say Charvel on them. At one point the trems screws stripped out, I suspect my ex roommate at the time was having too much fun with the whammy bar one day when I wasn't around. I coulda killed him. I had to have a new block (that the trem plate bolts to) machined. I've always loved the tone of the neck and in between neck and middle positions on this guitar. I like playing this guitar more than any Fender I've tried in Guitar Center. I'm sure there are better Jacksons and ESPs out there, but I really dig this axe. Guess I'm biased! I'm planning on going back through everything, setting it up for 9s, and am researching what kind of pickups to put in. While I love the neck and in between settings, I've never cared for the bridge bucker in this thing. So, any suggestions for pickup replacements to fit rock to metal would be most welcome. I was thinking a C5 or JB and stacked hums. I'd also appreciate any ideas on how to find a decent upgrade for the trem.
Sorry for the thread jacking. Good luck finding out your info.

 

[stratobastard]

Re: What's under the cover?

thanks for the info Zerb

 

[NT02]

Re: What's under the cover?

Stratobastard, find anything else out about your Charvette? Mine is serial # 000816, and I can't find anything out about it anywhere on the net.

 

[NT02]

Re: What's under the cover?

Long time since this thread was up. I've since reworked the setup on the charvette and have put the Les Paul in the case for the past few months. This thing is so much fun! Anyone else out there with a Charvette that they just love to play?