Charvel/Jackson: Tales From The Shop 1983-1987

[Johnnyryche]

Awesome info and pics, Kurt! I really appreciate and enjoy this type of stuff. Thanks for sharing!

[Psh511]

Great thread...Thanks

[mr426]

One of the coolest guitar stories I have ever read. Thanks

[Hamner1]

So many "Loaned to George Lynch" stories seem to end with "Never to be seen again."

That's because they made their way to ESP to be cloned.
Joking aside given the tinker/tone whore George is, I could see him f'ing with different things & possible trashing the necks or refinishing the bodies, etc.

Cool read Kurt. Keep the stories coming.

[dannyr]

Good stuff! Keep the stories coming.

[Emerald]

Emerald probably knows where it is.

Come on Hellbat why would I know?? Given I know more than the average bear about SS gear, it is mostly from people other than Steve himself Look for a major SS project in the near future from me. I would love to hear more about the 1986 San Dimas "Glow" Strat head Dinky #4790. That's why I started that thread in the US Charvel section. I have info from Steve but people like Grover promised me info then went cold. I know Mike Eldred painted it he told me so, ect.
Any other SS related Charvel info always welcome!
Emerald

[Spkr4theDead]

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!

THAT'S THAT GUY!? I about died watching him chug that whole bottle of vodka when he was in the pool.

[watson503]

THAT'S THAT GUY!? I about died watching him chug that whole bottle of vodka when he was in the pool.

Chris is still around, supposedly cleaned-up and recently released a new album. He has caught a lot of hell online over this video, but if he is happy then so be it:

[Venomboy]

I met Holmes at NAMM this year. He's still alive but man, he's been through a lot. He was a bit shaky and sweaty. Very talkative and very funny. He was playing with a yo yo. He told me when he toured with Maiden he got to wear the Eddie costume one night because the main guy was sick. He took 5 steps and fell over.

[Carbuff]

Chris is still around, supposedly cleaned-up and recently released a new album. He has caught a lot of hell online over this video, but if he is happy then so be it:

That was a bit odd. I dont get the whole nazi thing in the middle. Lying and cheating makes you a nazi? LOL. I wonder what was supposed to be on the green screen in the backround? Is there a finished version of this with the backround images added?

[Hellraiser6502]

Incredible! Amazing how all of these individual circumstances and events led up to the "perfect storm", if you will (I know, that's a negative - can't think of the positive term at the moment, but you get what I mean). The odds of C/J being produced in the same area as all of these bands, at the same time. Amazing stuff. Thank you for documenting so much of a musically historic event Kurt! You really should be a freelance writer for an industry mag. Some of the hacks they have writing now (i.e. Rolling Stone-d) are just not that interesting or provocative to lure a reader in like you have with your RC journals and this C/J history. Very, very cool. Also, Robbin's shirt in that last photo looks an awful lot like another Charvel graphic I love. Coincidence? Maybe the Rising Sun graphic was out already, nevermind.

Thanks man! I would love to be writer someday. I don't know if I have 'what it takes' to be one...I just write the stories from the gut...Stripped down, with as much detail as possible, I try & put forward what 'I' would want to hear as a player & enthusiast, always with FIRST HAND fact as a basis.

Anyway, Thanks again.

[thebigz]

That was the weirdest video I've seen in a long time. Who is the drummer here? Is he high?

[Larz]

Very cool to see the ratty t-shirt that inspired one of the most iconic charvel graphics

[watson503]

That was a bit odd. I dont get the whole nazi thing in the middle. Lying and cheating makes you a nazi? LOL. I wonder what was supposed to be on the green screen in the backround? Is there a finished version of this with the backround images added?

His gf runs his FB page and had gone into detail on there or YT a while back about the video but I can't remember all of the details and now can't find them, basically the video didn't go as planned and Chris just released it as-is knowing it was bad. I know Philthy Phil Taylor was supposed to record the drum tracks for the album, not sure if he did or not, whoever was supposed to be in the video didn't show and the whole thing was just a train wreck. History on the Jackson "CHP" used in the video can be found here, you have to click on the link and then the "Headless Explorer" tag : http://www.jacksonguitarpalace.com/chrisholmes/

[Hellraiser6502]

Charvel/JacksonTales From The Shop: RATT Edition Part II

'Big White' And The Little Hole'

This one for me is just for fun. Not especially earth-shattering but still an interesting episode in the early Charvel/Jackson history with RATT.

************************************************** ******************

After the major label release of RATT's “Out Of The Cellar” and their smash hit video for “Round & Round”. The band was on a worldwide roll...'Ratt & Roll' to be exact!

Grover Jackson naturally, was pleased with their success and offered both guitarists an endorsement deal... and now both of the new guitar heroes were playing HIS guitars front & center in live shows across the United States. A tour of Japan was the band's next destination and would elevate them to even greater popularity, in fact Japan was where RATT were to become beloved like no other country in the world. All of the members of the band would agree that Japan was their favorite place to play.

Warren & Robbin were thrilled with their new Charvel/Jackson guitars and several more for each were already in the works...several bolt-on 'Strat' style guitars for Warren (with Glenn Matejzel designing the graphics...more on these famous guitars later in Part III!) and a brand new Neck-thru-body model for Robbin, tentatively called a 'Double Rhoads'. Basically a Randy Rhoads model with both wings being the same longer size. This seemingly 'small' change made the overall guitar MUCH bigger, but in Robbin's hands it was a perfect fit.

Robbin had briefly played a white Randy Rhoads 'Student' model (1st pic below) on loan from Grover Jackson while his first Jackson was being built, a Black 'Roundhorn' Flying V (2nd pic below). While he liked the Rhoads, he felt it was too small for him. He was 6 foot 6 inches in height and described that 'It looked like a toy on me!' So in discussion with Grover Jackson it was agreed that a 'Double Rhoads' would be much better proportioned for him.





So while RATT were preparing for their first Japanese Tour, just a week away, Robbin & Warren again visited the San Dimas factory to pick up some new guitars. When they arrived they found that the guitars weren't quite finished and were being worked on '….as we speak, they will be ready very shortly'. While Robbin was in Grover's office talking shop, out on the shop floor, a young employee named Willy Houston was charged with installing the electronics on the first 'Double Rhoads'.

He remembers being 'stressed out' and 'rushed' because Robbin was here in the factory to pick up the new guitar and it wasn't quite ready. With Glenn Matejzel standing nearby watching, Robbin & Grover walked up just in time to see Willy drill the first pilot hole for the bridge volume control...IN THE WRONG PLACE!!! Glenn instantly knew what had happened, Willy had drilled the hole according to a standard 'Rhoads' volume placement template...not taking into account the larger bottom wing and the relative geometry!

While Willy Houston turned absolutely deathly pale white with the drill in his hand.... Grover Jackson turned a fine shade of Purple/RED in the face and was CLEARLY horrified at this seemingly major error...he probably envisioned having to fill the hole and re-finish the entire guitar which meant Robbin would NOT be taking this guitar on tour.

Robbin Crosby, well known for his easy going, good natured attitude took it in stride and chuckled at the mistake and said 'No big deal, it's just a little hole....' In short order the guitar was drilled properly, wired and set up to his satisfaction. He left with the guitar and played it on the Japanese tour. It was also featured in RATT's next video 'Lay It Down'. The 'Little Hole' was forgotten and never fixed and Robbin played the guitar all over the world.

Go back and take a look at ANY picture of that guitar and focus...you will see that extra 'little hole' between the first & second knobs!!!

Here's a few...








One taken in Robbin's Hollywood Hills home circa 1987.




Fast forward and Here's what the guitar (Serial J0139) looks like TODAY in 2013. For the first time in more than 25 years, pictures of the guitar in it's current state.