WHew! First Charvel Incoming!

[savatage]

Whew!! After many days of indecision I have just bought my first Charvel!

550 xl in blue with original hsc, trem arm, and wrenches.

images: the first for photos here: http://s385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/csacwp/

Thanks for everybody's help! This guitar screams savatage in that it's a charvel, it has 2 pickups, and it has a colored toothpaste headstock. Just what I was looking for (give or take the reverse headstock).

damn she's fine looking

[tcwil8]

Too bad it's a fake. Just kidding . For a first Charvel, you picked a nice one. Made in 1989 I think based on the serial. Others will chime in if I'm mistaken. How's it play?

[savatage]

WOw my heart just skipped a beat when I read that it's a fake

It's a fleabay purchase so I haven't played it yet. The only thing I'm concerned about is how grainy the fretboard is. I hope that's just the wood..

I got it (with original trem arm and allen wrenches) and it's original "chainsaw" hard-shell case for $500. The seller wanted $550 but accepted my offer.

Any info that anybody has on the 550xl would be greatly appreciated. I've searched all over the web for info on this model and haven't found anything.

[straycat]

The 550's are great guitars good choice.
All the model series and later 80's thru 90's that have rosewood boards look just like that so don't worry its normal.
What you see on those is white residue from when they did buffing you can get it out with OOOO steel wool but it takes forever and not really worth the bother.

[VitaminG]

oh, look at that woodgrain. Sure sign it's a fake.....



Here's some more info:

http://audiozone.dk/cm/displayimage.php?album=29&pos=7

[savatage]

Are the pickups active?

[straycat]

What makes you think they are active?

[VitaminG]

no. Jackson never made active pickups

[savatage]

What makes you think they are active?

I've read that they are in the past. THe internet is usually wrong though.

[dg]

Jackson made some active preamp systems that work with passive pickups. Some of the Charvel imports had the the JE-1200 midboost (Model 4,5,6, 475 and 650XL) but the 550XL didn't. Lots of people (especially eBay sellers) think Jackson made active pickups because of the preamps and because they made covered pickups that looked a lot like EMGs.

[Tricky]

Too bad it's a fake. Just kidding . For a first Charvel, you picked a nice one. Made in 1989 I think based on the serial. Others will chime in if I'm mistaken. How's it play?

Yep, 89 model.
Serial #s on the fretboard will start with; C for Charvel, or J for Jackson. The first number will be the year. 8 for 88, 9 for 89 & so on.

Here is another pretty good site: http://www.charvel-jackson.info/

That is a real nice Axe for your 1st Charvel. Mine was a Model 2.