Charvel/Jackson: Tales From The Shop 1983-1987

**sully** · 01-27-2012, 06:04 PM

Only if you look him in the eye whilst doing so....

**Hellraiser6502** · 01-31-2012, 06:41 PM

TALES FROM THE SHOP...Part II

Chris Holmes, a larger than life survivor from the 80's. It's a miracle he's still with us. VERY EARLY on he was a Charvel/Jackson player... The Blood Star, The Harley Star, The Bud Star and of course...The 'Yellow Shit' Star. The fact that this 'guitar' still survives is even more amazing than Chris being alive!! Did you ever wonder HOW it came to be in the state it's in now??

Here's a recent pic! I mean...damn it's missing the entire lower bout. Most people would have chucked it in the trash by then.

Early on this guitar was a Charvel Custom Yellow Star body with a reverse Strat Headstock and later was replaced with a matching Yellow pointy neck. It soon took a real BEATING as seen here. Abused beyond belief but the guitar is still *somewhat* in one piece. It's had at least 5 different necks on it over it's lifetime.

Here's the story from an employee at the C/J shop as he saw the guitar when it came in for 'repair'....A mere 'bus stop' in it's colorful life!

YELLOW SHIT
Sometime, somewhere in 1987 during the 'Electric Circus' tour Chris was doing the regular afternoon soundcheck and wasn't happy with what he was hearing. He and the soundboard guy were going at it...Chris was in a BAD mood and his frustration reached a boiling point...He finally says to the sound guy 'You know WHAT...FUCK YOU!!!" as he was pulling the 'Yellow Shit' off over his head. In a split second before anyone could react he had TOMAHAWKED the guitar across the room, end over end, at the sound board...the sound guy instinctively ducked as the guitar crashed against sound console platform with a sickening *CRAAACK*

Fast forward a week later and the guitar...or what was left of it...arrived back at the Charvel/Jackson shop for 'repair'.

There really wasn't much left to repair. The guitar had already been abused before this latest incident, and had a rather large hole in the face near the volume knob. The impact of the recent 'toss' had carried away the whole lower bout and the neck was completely beyond repair. Still Chris loved the guitar so much....he INSISTED that the guitar be fixed. After some serious consideration Mike Shannon settled on a steel 'prosthesis' for the lower bout...pic below. Unreal.

...and of course it was fitted with a new neck ...this one a matching color regular pointy Jackson-logo'd neck...pic below

Chris arrived at the J/C shop to pick it up and it was being given a final setup when he arrived...when finished the J/C employee handed Chris the guitar and said "Here give it a run and see if It needs any adjustment...' Chris smiled a demonic smile and said 'Hey man, you work here and....this is what you were hired to do, so it must be perfect...right?'

P.S. As a side note...it is rumored that the Ibanez Destroyer that Ed Van Halen cut up into a kinda 'Star' shape and used on 'Women & Children First' originally belonged to Chris Holmes.

**murkat** · 01-31-2012, 07:18 PM

Awesome.

**Chad** · 01-31-2012, 07:21 PM

I wouldn't go near that guitar without a hazmat suit

**roodyrocker** · 01-31-2012, 07:34 PM

I saw Chris Holmes playing at The Galaxy Theater at last year's NAMM show. He was playing a Jackson and I couldn't believe he still existed after seeing that swimming pool scene in The Fall Of Western Civilization movie many years ago!

**guitardudeluke** · 02-01-2012, 10:35 AM

holy shit

**Scooter** · 02-01-2012, 10:41 AM

Prosthesis for a guitar, AWESOME!

**MetalMedal II** · 02-01-2012, 12:51 PM

Great story! I was always inclined to think EVH's hacked up Destroyer was the inspiration for the J/C Star shape. I'm sure Ed would agree and that he should get a royalty for each one and Grover again ripped him off!

**Hamner1** · 02-05-2012, 03:03 PM

Back in the days when you didn't have to worry about a lawsuit (or HR intervention) because you told it like it was & tried to make a point.

**Hamner1** · 02-05-2012, 03:11 PM

Holy crap Chris is still alive and playing.

**unclesprinter** · 02-16-2012, 12:42 AM

The hell with sawing it up I would have smashed it over the head of the dude who did the inlays!

And that poor poor star...

**tonemonster** · 02-16-2012, 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by roodyrocker

I saw Chris Holmes playing at The Galaxy Theater at last year's NAMM show. He was playing a Jackson and I couldn't believe he still existed after seeing that swimming pool scene in The Fall Of Western Civilization movie many years ago!

Man I hear you there..... I saw that movie that couldnt believe that swimming pool scene. it was disturbing.

**straycat** · 02-16-2012, 08:53 AM

Yeah Chris is still out there playing.One of my all time faves.

**Ward** · 02-16-2012, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by Hellraiser6502

P.S. As a side note...it is rumored that the Ibanez Destroyer that Ed Van Halen cut up into a kinda 'Star' shape and used on 'Women & Children First' originally belonged to Chris Holmes.

I had always heard that Eddie wrecked his by cutting it up and borrowed Chris's to record Women & Children because it was still original and Eddie had hacked his so badly that it didn't sound right anymore. This is from an interview:

The Inside: So how did Eddie Van Halen come about borrowing your guitar for the Women and Children First album?

Chris Holmes: I got into a motorcycle accident in 1980. I had broken my back and I was in the hospital. I couldn't play. I was in traction and he just came into the hospital. He just got off the road. He asked if he could borrow the guitar and I said yes.

The Inside: What kind of guitar was it?

CH: It was an Ibanez Destroyer, a certain kind that I had bought. Honestly, I got one because he got one. He was just somebody I really envied when I grew up playing and he was cool. I always wanted to play like him, but you've got to do your own thing. I bought one because he got one that had a cool shape. It was made out of a certain kind of wood that they didn't make very many out of -- crayna, I think. He cut his out and changed the sound, but he couldn't fix it back. So he said, 'Hey, can I use your guitar?' I said 'Sure, man.' And he used it on the album.

The Inside: Did he return it to you in one piece?

CH: It was funny; when I got it back, the bridge was turned around backwards and all that intonation... it was just backwards to the way I would have had it. I just don't see how he played it that way, but he did. It's funny, I've been to a few Van Halen shows and I put on Ed's guitar and it's just the complete opposite of the way I set up mine.