Charvel

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Charvel Guitars
Subsidiary
Industry Musical instruments
Founded 1974; 50 years ago (1974) in Azusa, California
Founder Wayne Charvel
Headquarters Glendora, California, USA
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Electric guitars
Parent Fender [1]
Website charvel.com
External video
video icon Oral History, Wayne Charvel talks about the importance of being persistent. Interview date August 5, 2010, NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Oral History Library

Charvel is a brand of electric guitars, originally founded in the 1970s by Wayne Charvel in Azusa and headquartered in Glendora, both cities in California. Charvel guitars became popular in the 1980s due to their association with famous rock and heavy metal guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Warren DeMartini (Ratt), Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne), Vinnie Vincent (KISS), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), George Lynch (Dokken), Criss Oliva (Savatage), Allan Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, and others. Modern Charvel players include Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats).

History

1970s

Style 1 HH Candy Plum.
Charvel Surfcaster.

Having worked at Fender for three years in the early 1970s, Wayne Charvel originally started "Charvel's Guitar Repair" in 1974 to refinish and repair out-of-warranty Fender instruments. The shop earned a solid reputation among performing artists for its repair work, custom finishes, and upgraded parts manufacturing. When Asian companies began copying Charvel's parts and selling them at a discount, Charvel decided to begin building complete guitars. Charvel guitars were originally constructed from wood components outsourced to Boogie and Schecter bodies, and various Charvel and aftermarket hardware.[2] Wayne Charvel sold the company to Grover Jackson in 1978, and ceased all working associations with the brand name from that point forward.

After purchasing the company, Grover Jackson tooled to produce guitar bodies, which he sold to Mighty Mite and Dimarzio. He used the proceeds to fund an expansion into making necks. During this time BC Rich, SD Curlee, and Music Man approached Charvel to contract manufacture various wood parts. The income from these sales provided the Charvel shop with additional tooling and experience that gave Jackson the footing required to grow the Charvel brand.

Beginning in the late 1970s, Charvel popularized custom revamps of the Fender Stratocaster design - often consisting of a Strat-shaped body with a single humbucking pickup and Fender style tremolo bridge systems. This modernized Stratocaster configuration (commonly referred to as the superstrat) was particularly well suited to the heavy metal style of music that was very popular at the time. Charvel guitars became renowned for its use of creative graphics, unfinished maple necks, and various innovative appointments.

1980s

In 1980, Grover Jackson met Randy Rhoads, who had recently joined Ozzy Osbourne's new band as a guitarist. They worked together to develop a guitar to complement the polka-dotted Flying V built for Rhoads by Karl Sandoval. The initial prototype was not angular enough for Rhoads, but the second design produced a shape that Randy referred to as the Concorde. Jackson worried that the radically styled neck-through guitar was too different from Charvel's familiar 'Superstrat' theme, so he labeled the instrument with his own name on the headstock in case the design proved unpopular. Contrary to Jackson's concerns, the visual impact of this guitar spawned the "Rhoads Model" that soon became iconic in the industry and inspired Jackson to found Jackson Guitars.

Charvel (and Jackson) guitars remained in production at the Gladstone Street shop in Glendora, California until 1986. In 1986, the manufacturing facilities moved to Ontario, California, and production of U.S.-built Charvel guitars ceased shortly thereafter.

The success of Charvel in the 1980s led to Jackson's planning to mass-produce popular configurations in Asia. Each California-produced Charvel guitar was essentially a hand built custom instrument—but the Japanese assembly line versions that appeared in 1986 were categorized into model numbers.

In 1989, Jackson sold Charvel/Jackson to the Japanese manufacturer IMC (International Music Corporation), who made Charvel brand guitars exclusively in Japan from 1986 to 1991.[3]

The Japanese made Charvels that appeared in 1986 are easily distinguished from San Dimas instruments by several distinct differences:

  • Neck plates circa 1982-1986 stamped "San Dimas, CA"[4] (then briefly "Ontario, CA") changed to a plate that read "Ft. Worth, TX", the location of IMC's U.S. offices. This confused many consumers—as, without exception, all guitars with the "Ft. Worth" neck plate were made in Japan.[5]
  • The gold label, "Charvel - Made in USA" affixed to the headstock of the San Dimas era (U.S. made) instruments changed to a white logo that read "Charvel - By Jackson/Charvel."[5]
  • Instead of the unfinished maple bolt-on neck that was a hallmark of the U.S. instruments, the imported instruments had a Japanese neck with a clear satin finish.

2002 - The rebirth of Charvel

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation bought Charvel in 2002, and the Charvel brand entered a renaissance, with several U.S. made "San Dimas" models—named to recapture the original association of the Charvel name with high-quality, American made professional guitars. Charvel presently offers several series of guitars, including both lower-priced Japanese and boutique-priced American made instruments, and operates a full-service custom shop.[6] Perhaps the most notable product of Charvel's present custom shop is the Eddie Van Halen signature modela short run of guitars paint stenciled by Van Halen.

Guitar models

Current Charvel guitars

San Dimas Pro-Mods[7]
Mexican/Japanese built guitars in various styles and colors. the series was originally made in Japan prior to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, after which production went on hiatus until 2013 when the series was re-introduced, now being produced in Mexico.
Production Models[8]
Current guitars in various styles and colors
USA Warren DeMartini Models[9]
U.S. built reproductions of Warren DeMartini's original custom San Dimas guitars from the early 1980s
USA Custom Built[10]
Built to order and limited run custom guitars
Desolation series
Chinese built line of guitars introduced in 2011[11] and expanded since. Available in Star (DST), Soloist (DX), Singlecut (DS), Doublecut (DC) and Skatecaster (SK) design.

Past Charvel guitars

Route 66
In 1984, Charvel made a limited run of around 100 guitars called Route 66[citation needed], which consisted of a Fender Telecaster style body in black, red, or sunburst, and fitted with chrome or black hardware and dice as volume knobs. The flashy styling and steep price tag ($1200) proved unpopular, and this basic style was later revived for Korean production under the Jackson brand.
Surfcaster
See Charvel Surfcaster.
Japanese Charvel Guitars 1986-1991
Model 3
The Model 3 was released in 1986. It consisted of a Stratocaster style basswood body, 22 fret maple neck with rosewood fretboard and mother of pearl dot inlays, and a Khaler Fulcrum tremolo. Pickups consisted of a humbucker at the bridge and single coil pickups located at the middle and neck positions. Controls consisted of a 5 way switch and volume and tone controls.
Model 3A
Like the Model 3, the Model 3A consisted of a Hardwood Stratocaster style body, maple neck with rosewood fretboard and 22 frets, however the Model 3A had 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch to include coil tap. 1986 Model 3A's had a scratch plate, whereas later Model 3A's did not. 1986 Model 3A's had Khaler tremolo, but 1987 models had a Jackson JT6 Floyd Rose licensed tremolo
Model 3DR
In 1988 the Model 3DA was released. Similar to the Model 3A, the Model 3DR was easily identifiable by the fact it had a humbucker at the bridge and a single coil at the neck position, with a single volume control and no tone control. The neck was a Jackson Dinky with a reverse headstock. Model 3DR's used the Jackson JT6 licensed Floyd Rose tremolo.
Model 4
The Model 4 consisted of a full size Stratocaster-style body made of American basswood, 22 fret maple neck with rosewood fretboard, and mother of pearl dot inlays. A version with maple fretboard and black dot inlays was called the Model 4M. The Model 4 originally featured the Kahler 2300 tremolo. After 1986, the Model 4 came with a licensed Floyd Rose style tremolo (Jackson JT-6) and shark fin pearl inlays. Model 4 has 3 pickups, 2 single coil and a humbucker at the bridge, with 3 on/off toggle switches instead of a 5-way; and 1 volume, 1 tone, and an active mid-boost control.
Model 5
The Model 5 was a neck-through guitar similar to the USA Jackson SL-2 Soloist. It featured thin profile 25.5" scale maple neck and poplar body, rosewood fingerboard with jumbo frets, and mother of pearl dot inlays. In early 1986, the guitar was offered with a Kahler 2300 series Pro tremolo with steel roller saddles, and Jackson J80C pickups with an active mid-boost control (Jackson JE-1200). Other controls include master volume and tone controls, and a five way switch that provided coil tapping. By late 1986, the Model 5 had a Kahler 2315 Standard series tremolo with brass roller saddles. Larger pickup covers appeared by late 1986. After 1986, the Kahler was replaced with a non-recessed, licensed Jackson JT-6 tremolo that was similar to a Floyd Rose. The color options for this guitar were cobalt blue, red, black cherry, pearl white, and black. The Model 5 is one of the rarer Charvel imports.
Model 5A
Identical to the Model 5, but fitted with a single humbucker in the bridge position and equipped with a single volume control and no tone control.
Model 5 FX
The Model 5 FX featured the same construction as the Model 6—except for the scale (without shark fin inlays) and the pickups (one single coil and one humbucker). Also, some model 5FX had a slightly recessed tremolo.
The Model 5 FX was essentially a Model 5A fitted with a single coil neck pickup on arrival at the Fort Worth facility in an attempt to increase the guitar's market acceptance.
Model 6
The Model 6 was basically an import version of the Jackson Soloist, but under the Charvel name. It featured neck-through construction with a maple neck and poplar body. The neck has 24 jumbo frets on a bound rosewood fretboard. The Model 6 also features a bound neck and headstock, and shark fin mother of pearl inlays. Model 6s came with Kahler 2300 Tremolos in early 1986, and an extra thin neck profile. The tremolo was later replaced with a non-recessed JT-6 Jackson unit and the neck profile became a little larger. The pickups were a Jackson J50BC humbucker at the bridge, two Jackson J-200 stacked single coils, and an on-board mid-boost (Jackson JE-1200). The control layout consists of a one volume, one tone, a control for the mid boost, and an on-off mini toggle switch for each pickup.
Model 7
The Model 7 was released in 1988, and was a Telecaster shaped guitar with a fixed bridge. The transparent colors had ash bodies, while solid colors were made with Basswood. Pickups consisted of a bridge and neck single coil. The neck was maple with 22 frets and a reverse headstock. Controls were made up of a three-way switch, one volume, and one tone control.
Model 88
The Model 88, introduced in 1988, was similar to the Model 5A, with a single humbucker in the slanted bridge position and a maple neck with rosewood fretbord and 22 frets. The body was made from African Ribbon Mahogany and the tremolo was a Jackson JT6 Floyd Rose. Controls were a single volume control.
Model 8
Also introduced in 1988, the Model 8 had three single coil pickups. Controls were a five-way switch and three knobs: volume, tone, and a J-1200 mid boost. The neck was maple with a maple or rosewood fretboard and 22 frets, with a reverse headstock.
Model 650 XL
Similar to the Model 6, the 650/750 XL series represented the high end of the Charvel import line at the end of the 1980s. It featured bound headstock and neck, neck-through construction, a Schaller locking tremolo system, two Jackson J200 single coil pickups (neck and middle), one Jackson JC50BC humbucker at the bridge, JE-1200 mid-boost, "Toothpaste Logo" headstock, and shark fin inlaid position markers.
Model 750 XL
The 750XL featured two humbuckers, arched top, optional string-through body or Schaller tremolo construction, and reversed shark fin inlays on the fretboard.

Other import models

In 1989, the Charvel line was expanded into a number of different series, including the Classic, Fusion and Contemporary.

  • The Classic series included the 275, 375, 375 deluxe and 475 models.
  • The Fusion series had shorter scale necks and included the Fusion Deluxe and Fusion Custom models.
  • The Contemporary range included the Predator and Spectrum models.
    • The Spectrum guitar was inspired by a Jackson guitar custom built for Jeff Beck, and was based on a Stratocaster style body, but with a reversed pointed headstock, an early 50s Fender P-Bass-inspired pickguard, wild colors, and an active tone circuit that produced a wah effect. The three single-coil pickups were in fact stacked humbucking coils.
    • The Predator guitar featured reversed pointed headstock and slanted S-H pickup layout.

Most of the guitars at the time were equipped with Schaller hardware, including a licensed Floyd Rose locking tremolo.

The Korean-made Charvette brand also came into being to service the entry-level. In the 1990s, the Charvel CX series was imported as a lower priced instrument.

Fake Charvels

The collectible status and escalating market prices of 1970s-80s U.S.-made Charvels have spawned a rash of fake 'San Dimas' Charvels, many of which conspicuously appear in online auction listings or elsewhere, and are misrepresented as genuine originals. These fakes are often created by swapping necks and/or "San Dimas" stamped neck plates onto Asian-made Charvels or other inexpensive guitars,[12] and completing the project with a reproduction San Dimas era "Charvel - Made in USA" headstock decal.[13] In recent years, the problem has become widespread enough such that it remains a frequent topic of discussion amongst knowledgeable collectors of San Dimas era Charvel guitars.[13][14] Some fakes are convincing enough such that independent, expert confirmation is strongly recommended before considering the purchase of an instrument that the seller claims is an original San Dimas era Charvel.

Wayne Charvel since 1978

Wayne Charvel resurfaced in the realm of guitar manufacturing with varying degrees of success several times since selling the brand in 1978. He created a namesake model offered through Gibson: the Gibson W.R.C. Signature Model. Only a limited number were produced, and they were short-lived, mainly because of a lawsuit filed by Jackson. Gibson made the W.R.C. models from 1987 to 1988, in three standard colors: red, black, and white. Of several hundred produced, 200 were 'show case' models that featured Wayne Charvel's signature on the bell and were accompanied by a letter from him.[15] The WRC model came with a tan faux leather case with hot pink interior and combination locks. Earlier models had a Kahler Spyder tremolo, while later models featured a Floyd Rose Original. All featured a maple bolt-on neck with ebony fingerboard.

Today, Charvel and his son Michael Charvel own and operate Charvel Music, a full line music store in Paradise, California, and currently manufacture guitars as a joint venture under the name Wayne Guitars.[16]

References

  1. ↑ FMIC Brands at Fender website, 8 Dec 2014
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ http://www.sandimascharvel.com/parts/neckplate.jpg
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ [1] Archived May 30, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ [2] Archived February 18, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ [3]
  9. ↑ [4] Archived January 23, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ [5] Archived July 9, 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Your resource for vintage San Dimas Charvel guitars!
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ [6] Archived November 25, 2010 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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