1986' MIJ Charvel model # 2

You’re so wrong I assumed that you either were not involved or too young. I now understand that you were on a desert island. 🤣🤘🏻
there's A LOT that you got wrong in this thread too, though:

1- Jackson Custom Shop did not "force" you to use the JT6. There was A LOT they could do as "Special Instruction" through a dealer here in the US. You'd fill out the custom order form, they'd send it in and you'd get a (very expensive) quote. That included Floyd Trems, some body shapes not listed in the catalog, different pickups etc pretty much the ONLY thing you couldn't get was strat heads.

2- it was VERY common for players in smaller bands to get the MIJ Charvels and have them modded with the real Floyd and different pickups etc... every shop around my area knew how to do it. Like I said, if you wanted a neckthrough guitar, the Model 6 street'd in the US for $800-ish. You'd get that, take it to the shop for a Floyd and pickups and ended up with a solid NT guitar for less than half of the cost of the Soloist. Do you think that wasn't popular?
Same with amps, you'd get the 800 then get the loop, gain mod put on etc... modding guitars and amps was pretty much a way of life back then lol Hell, people were even butchering old Fenders with Floyds :( , let alone something as simple as replacing a Jt6, stock specs were hardly a deterrent to anyone.

3- Ibanez did not eat anybody's lunch. Very few pros switched to Ibanez. Vai and Satch were the main guys and then the Shrapnel guys. But as far as players in major bands, very few - if any - switched to RGs. ESP took FAR more artists from Jackson than Ibanez.

Why resort to things like "you weren't there"? Where's "there"? I was very active in the NY local scene in the late 80s, my guitar teacher was in a relatively well-known band in the area. Bottom line is you don't know what we did or where we were. We were not all ignorant like you seem to think...
 
Last edited:
there's A LOT that you got wrong in this thread too, though:

1- Jackson Custom Shop did not "force" you to use the JT6. There was A LOT they could do as "Special Instruction" through a dealer here in the US. You'd fill out the custom order form, they'd send it in and you'd get a (very expensive) quote. That included Floyd Trems, some body shapes not listed in the catalog, different pickups etc pretty much the ONLY thing you couldn't get was strat heads.

2- it was VERY common for players in smaller bands to get the MIJ Charvels and have them modded with the real Floyd and different pickups etc... every shop around my area knew how to do it. Like I said, if you wanted a neckthrough guitar, the Model 6 street'd in the US for $800-ish. You'd get that, take it to the shop for a Floyd and pickups and ended up with a solid NT guitar for less than half of the cost of the Soloist. Do you think that wasn't popular?
Same with amps, you'd get the 800 then get the loop, gain mod put on etc... modding guitars and amps was pretty much a way of life back then lol Hell, people were even butchering old Fenders with Floyds :( , let alone something as simple as replacing a Jt6, stock specs were hardly a deterrent to anyone.

3- Ibanez did not eat anybody's lunch. Very few pros switched to Ibanez. Vai and Satch were the main guys and then the Shrapnel guys. But as far as players major in bands, very few - if any - switched to RGs. ESP took FAR more artists from Jackson than Ibanez.
I know I remember the forms you could send them a Floyd and they would put your order on the bottom of the pile I was on the Jackson stand at the uk trade show in 87. I know exactly what happened.
You do know I have been a full time tech for nearly 35 years. And I was part time before that . I fitted many with Floyd’s myself but the nut was an issue. Grover made a slightly different neck for a Floyd nut.
 
I know I remember the forms you could send them a Floyd and they would put your order on the bottom of the pile I was on the Jackson stand at the uk trade show in 87. I know exactly what happened.
You do know I have been a full time tech for nearly 35 years. And I was part time before that . I fitted many with Floyd’s myself but the nut was an issue. Grover made a slightly different neck for a Floyd nut.
Perhaps the UK market was different. Here the wait time wasn't longer if you ordered a Floyd (you'd have to buy and send them the part but most dealers sold you the trem and sent it along with your order). It was more expensive, but it wouldn't take longer than the normal wait time.

My local shop used to do the Floyd mod with a Kahler locking nut (not the string lock), which was narrower and required less modifications to the headstock. I have one like that here. That worked fine and looked like it could've been stock. They'd do Floyd nuts too but it looked a bit weird because of the depth of the nut. It also made it harder to access the truss rod.
 
Perhaps the UK market was different. Here the wait time wasn't longer if you ordered a Floyd (you'd have to buy and send them the part but most dealers sold you the trem and sent it along with your order). It was more expensive, but it wouldn't take longer than the normal wait time.

My local shop used to do the Floyd mod with a Kahler locking nut (not the string lock), which was narrower and required less modifications to the headstock. I have one like that here. That worked fine and looked like it could've been stock. They'd do Floyd nuts too but it looked a bit weird because of the depth of the nut. It also made it harder to access the truss rod.
I suspect that is the difference we are talking about. The UK distribution was JHS at the time and they weren’t exactly in tune with the product.
They did some really stupid advertising with it . They also had their own version of the custom order form which was not very comprehensive.
 
Point me towards the Charvels with chunky C neck profiles please, I'm on the hunt!

Couldn't jive with the virgin maple FB. Like trying to play a wall stud.



However 39 yr old maple is da shit. Japan delivers.

giphy.gif
 
Last edited:
Neither of those is chunky C . You need to go way back to 21fret pre production with wide nuts to actually get C . The reissues like the bullseye Strat are like that.
 
Here's some pictures of my Model 3 with the Kahler locking nut conversion:

Front:

iiSzfejh.jpg



Side view:


fT2l5Qwh.jpg




The Floyd nut would hang and make the truss rod adjustment a real pain, but the Kahler is a pretty clean way to do this and can pass for stock (except that I just noticed I am missing 2 screws :mad:!!! )..
 
Here's some pictures of my Model 3 with the Kahler locking nut conversion:

Front:

iiSzfejh.jpg



Side view:


fT2l5Qwh.jpg




The Floyd nut would hang and make the truss rod adjustment a real pain, but the Kahler is a pretty clean way to do this and can pass for stock (except that I just noticed I am missing 2 screws :mad:!!! )..
The foot print is the same on this. I’m not sure how you have that on without an overhang.
 
Last edited:
IMG_4455.jpeg

It’s exactly the same depth as a Floyd nut .
Either the neck was built with the space or the fingerboard was trimmed. It can’t be that because it would not play in tune. Elaborate???
 
View attachment 39579
It’s exactly the same depth as a Floyd nut .
Either the neck was built with the space or the fingerboard was trimmed. It can’t be that because it would not play in tune. Elaborate???
Different model maybe? Mine is top mounted with screws....
Other than that, I'm not sure. I'll see if I can find a Floyd nut here and do a side by side comparison. The fretboard was definitely not trimmed, the guitar plays in tune just fine.
 
The foot print is the same on this. I’m not sure how you have that on without an overhang.
Thing is that the Floyd base plate for the locking nut is like 3mm longer than the 5153 Kahler lick but since it's behind the nut isn't quite comparable.

Also I seen plenty of Kahler licks mounted on an incline, over the trussrod cover etc...

Man at one one point coming from that Rockinger thing the Kahler was great, til I got my first Schaller.
 
The neck was made for it.
I might hallucinate this but I seem to remember them making an angled shelf fir thatnir maybe it was the builder I used to hang with that just did it on tilt back headstocks...

That's his early 80s stuff before Kahler, before Floyd...
1740610324361.jpeg

1740610342634.jpeg


And then the Kahler, and Jackson headstock era...by the looks of me I'd say 84 or 85
1740610477572.jpeg
 
Non of those have a Floyd and only one a Kahler with a behind the nut lock. There isn’t an angled nut and never was. The closest is the new frx nut but it only fits Gibson or something exactly the same.
IMG_4456.jpeg
 
I think @Eagle is correct about the neck being built this way. It's not mounted on an angle and there is no overhang. Besides, I just found a Floyd nut here and lo and behold... same depth. Very interesting. I had not seen an '87 with a factory neck like this so I just assumed it was modded, but apparently it was not.

cGoio6Ul.jpg
 
Back
Top