Charvel Model 3 Pearl White 1988
Charvel Model 3, pearl white finish, made in Japan 1988. Wayne Charvel opened his guitar repair shop in 1974, following a few years working for Fender. He offered refinishes, upgrades and custom parts, and quickly earned a reputation for excellent work and improving the playability and tonal options on Fender style guitars. In 1978, he went bankrupt and sold to shred royalty Grover Jackson, who took things up a gear and started marketing complete guitars within a couple of years. By 1986, the building operation had moved to Japan, and this accomplished riffstick was made a couple of years into that era, in 1988. It's a got a very fast neck: slim and flat like and Ibanez RG, but with a then-pretty-fancy 12-16" compound radius and tall frets. It's weathered the years nicely, with good fret and finish work in tidy order to this day. The HSS pickup set delivers the goods too: proper crisp, glassy Strat-style cleans on the single coils, and a very convincing pissed-off dirty tone from the humbucker, abounding in midrange kick, fast attack and thick lows. The subtle pearl through the finish is a nice touch: it's yellowed and mellowed over the years, but under stage lights, it's sure to look perfect. It's basically impossible to get a standard Charvel these days with the 'proper' pointy headstock: they've all got sensitive new-age Strat style headstocks these days, which is fine... I guess. But, this one is black and pointy like it should be. Hell yeah.
Model: Charvel Model 3
Made: Japan, 1988, Chushin Gakki factory
Serial: 240540
Finish: pearl white, gloss poly
Body: basswood
Neck: quatersawn rock maple, rosewood fretboard, 25.5" scale, 12-16" compound radius, slim shred D profile
Weight: 4.010kg
Mods: none
Pickups: 2x J100 alnico single coil, J90C ceramic humbucker
Accessories: trem arm, gig bag
Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has chips on the end, a dent near the end on the bass edge, dimples and scuffs on the treble edge, a chip on the front near the end as well as some scuffs around the posts. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples and rub wear only. The back has dimples along the belly carve, around the trem cavity, along the back edge and near the jack, surface scratches between the cavity and neck plate and widespread minor scuffs and rub wear around the whole body. The sides have a minor crack in the clear coat on the bass side of the neck pocket, dimples and scuffs on the top horn, dimples in the elbow area and down the back edge to the jack area, as well as a small chip and some light scuffs on the bottom horn. The front has a scratch near the tone knob, dimples on the back edge and elbow area and top horn, some minor scuffs around the whole body and some play wear on the guard and horns.
Overall: very good condition (7.5/10)
Playing condition notes: action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh 9/42 Moonshiner strings.
Fret Life: 8/10, minor wear only