This guitar is one that showcases Charvel’s take on the classic Fender Stratocaster design. Indeed, one can instantly recognize both the headstock and body shape to be that of a Stratocaster but, upon closer examination, improvements are quickly obvious. Powerful EMG active pickups have replaced the original weaker sounding Stratocaster pickups, a locking Kahler tremolo offering improved tuning stability over the traditional Fender fulcrum tremolo and jumbo frets make bending and fast playing much easier compared to playing with vintage, smaller fret wire. One of the biggest distinctions between this Charvel and a Fender Stratocaster is not seen but rather felt, that is the broken in feel that the oiled only (not lacquered) Charvel neck provides. Not being lacquered, oiled necks quickly get worn (dirty) by grease from the players hand resulting in a “broken-in” feel that players really enjoy. This single aspect of Charvel design has been hailed by many as one of the most distinctive traits of their guitars.

I purchased this Charvel guitar in February 2005 from her original owner Sanford, who ordered this guitar through Sam Ash in NYC in 1984 and was very specific about the layout and especially the overall look of the guitar. This guitar bears serial number 3501 and is finished in a rich charcoal gray paint. The matching painted headstock is a nice feature as the guitar appears very stealthy with the all black hardware and more importantly, no neck inlays. This is a very sexy looking guitar and was built with function in mind, as it has a simple volume only control and a 5 way pickup selector switch.

The neck has a very soft C shape and is well broken in from heavy playing. The fretboard is a thick slab of ebony and the profile is slightly flatter (less radius) than others I own. This neck feels great in my hands and as a result this guitar has quickly become one of my favorite players. Furthermore, the 3 TITE (TITE = Tuck In the Electronics) which refers to 3 single coil pickups which are rear loaded (that is no pickguard) layout not only looks cleaner (without a pickguard) but is also very versatile, offering a wide variety of sounds. This, in combination with the more user friendly 5 way selector switch (Charvel often used 3 mini switches – on/off for each pickup rather than the Fender blade style selector switch) makes this guitar very practical and a great gigging guitar.

If you look closely at the paint on the headstock face you can see that it has shrunk and slightly receded from the edges. Furthermore, there are several large cracks running through the lacquer/paint. I have only seen this type of shrinkage on a few Charvels and I am unsure if this is a result of the paint or if it’s a reflection on the amount of use that the guitar has been subjected to. In any event, it is purely cosmetic and does not affect the playability or sound. Interestingly, the paint on the body does not show any signs of shrinkage or cracking. The guitar is in great original condition despite the amount of playing time she has endured. This was Sanford’s main gigging and recording guitar, as is evident from the broken in feel of the neck and how the EMG insignias have been worn off of the pickup covers.

Written in the neck pocket of the body is the date 5-84, builders initials "NL" and a work order (invoice) number 1878. Markings on the neck include the initials/name "Pat", "ODPH" (neck code for oiled neck, decal (logo) painted headstock) and the work order (invoice) number 1878. As a general rule of thumb, the work order (invoice) numbers found written in the neck pocket of the body and on the neck for Charvels with serial numbers ~2400ish and EARLIER were consecutive. On later serialized Charvel guitars like this one, the same work order (invoice) number was used for both the body and neck. HOWEVER, there are exceptions to this general rule.

While many of us would question the choice of using 3 single coil pickups, Sanford had an answer for that, think David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) who often had EMG active pickups installed in his Strats, his sound is incredible and that is as good of a reason as any. Now that I have spent some time playing the guitar, I really enjoy the TITE and 5 way selector layout, with the overall result that this is a very user friendly Charvel that looks as good as she sounds.