Which charvel

FrankD77

Groupie
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I love the Ibanez series.
Have 2 jems and several RGs.
But also want something else ;)

Someone pointed me towards charvel as a great addition as a fast alternative.

The new ones look great but i like a more vintage instrument. Im new with charvel so wondered what model should i look for.

Should be floating bridge and at least a humbucker in the bridge.

Price range 700-1000 euro.
I know it's personal ;)
 
Some of the necks are probably thicker than most people would think.

Im no expert by any means but I believe the three number series (375/475, 550/650XL) have thinner necks than the model series. Could be wrong, just going off what I have read.

Ive heard the quality starting slipping with those however.

The best charvel ive ever played was the 2005 Reissue and my dumb ass sold it.

Id honestly do a lot of research if youre going to get an old charvel.

@GuitarBilly74 may be able to give you more info.

From my experience bolt on (DK) should have a thinner neck than a neck through. At least with Jackson that is definitely the case. Dinky vs soloist

I would say buy my model 2 but the neck is definitely thicker than an original Ibanez WIzard.

I personally think you would love a current Jackson MJ series dinky in all honesty but if you want an old charvel definitely try to get more info on them.
 
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@maddnotez
Tried one yesterday in a store and the neck is certainly thicker than the vintage jems but not too thick.

I own a usa Hamer Centaur and it's somewhere in the middle of those. Actually liked it a lot. Only the trem system feels really different ;)
 
I have three Charvels.
The Marco Sfgioli pro mod is the one that I play the most and is the most versatile. It has a different neck profile and it sounds and looks gorgeous in my humble opinion.
IMG_7367.jpeg



I got mine second hand for £1k worth every penny.

 
It came in but needs a lot of work
Top of headstock broke (have the piece)
Only bridge pickup works and the bridge needs a total setup and some screw replacements.

But couldn't resist taking some shots

IMG_6913.jpegIMG_6914.jpegIMG_6916.jpegIMG_6917.jpeg
 
make sure you try them out. The neck dimensions on an Ibanez is far from that of a Charvel. It may or may not be your thing.
It's indeed a different feel.
I actually like all the differences. At the moment my preference is the vintage jems and this charvel feels really nice.
 
What about a Japanese Model from the late 80s? Model 3A was one I owned. Pointy headstock. Those have thin necks and may feel more like an RG. Those Jackson labeled pickups with the flat plastic covers aren't my favourites, but they had a sound that kinda worked for me back then.

Edit: This is like the one I had, but mine had two humbuckers (hence 3A instead Model 3).
 
Bridge pickup is a DCJ
My favorite guitar is a jem 7v wh ebony with evolutions but the DCJ sounds very fat and seems even more detailed that the evolutions.
 
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