Charvel Fusion Special

Early nineties, japanese made superstrat type axe. Interesting pickup arrangement, 2 slanted SC sized hums at the bridge, and one at the neck. Single locking Schaller trem, all black hardware. One volume, which is located in a strnge position-somewhat uncomfortable for my style of playing. 5 way strat switch. 24 fret, 24.75 inch scale neck. Maple with rosewood board-very nice neck as do most Charvels. Pointy Charvel toothpaste logo headstock. 7 for the features, but i like it simple. If you like alot of gadgets, this is not the guitar for you. It didn't come with a case, just a crappy gigbag.

The clean sounds are nice, but these pickups seem to lack the output of full size humbuckers. Sounds great through headphones and my DOD G7, but lacks the higher gain when run through my Fender deluxe 112.

I bought the guitar used, so I had to do a complete cleanup and setup. All the hardware seems pretty high quality, just a few wear marks on the black hardware. The pot seems a little loose, so I will probably replace it soon. THe switch is still in good working order, and all the positions seem pretty noise-free-no crackles or dead spots. THe finish still looks great for a 14 year old guitar, so it must be pretty durable. It is a super bright metallic pearl red, slightly faded so sometimes it looks like flourescent orange! THere is a small gap in the neck pocket, but it doesn't seem to affect playability. The bridge was blocked up when i got it, and the saddles needed a good soaking in WD-40 to loosen them up. It probablt hadn't been used in years.

Finish and hardware seem durable-no major flaws or problems there. It is already old and still owrks great, so I'm pretty sure it will last forever. I would probably use it as a backup if gigging, due to the lack of output.

I haven't dealt with them directly, but I own another old Charvel (model4) and it too is a sturdy axe. There really isn't anything on here I couldn't fix myself, so I'm not worried. Also, the guys on the JCFonline board are a big help if any problems should arise!

I have been playing about 12 years and own an HM strat, a Model 4 and this Fusion. I play through a Fender Deluxe 112 combo and a Gibson GA25RVT. Haven't run this one through the GIbson yet. I was recently bitten by the Charvel bug, so i bought it on a whim. I always remember wanting one when I first started out, but couldn't afford one back in the day. If it were stolen, I would go buy another Charvel to make me feel better, but not necessarily the same one. It is different enough from my other guitars to make it fun to play, and the nostalgia.... I do wish it had a double locking FLoyd, and will probably swap it out for one someday. It is definitely a great guitar for the money.

My model is a 1990, made in Japan as they all were.
24 jumbo frets, 24.75" scale, rosewood fretboard on nice maple neck
Solid top. Alder I beleive. Mine is a nice dark blue sparkle finish.
1 volume control and 5 way switch
3 Jackson J200 stacked passive humbuckers (single coil size) with Charvel logo covers. The pickup arrangement is very unique on this model. The bridge and middle pickups are touching each other and are at a steep angle. The neck pickup is in the normal position. Even though these are all the same pickups, they all sound quite different. Go figure. The body style is Soloist (strat-like with sweeping back and right horn scallops, very nice). The bridge is a non-locking Schaller Floyd Rose. The tuners are Jackson. All black hardware. This is a very nice looking, and comfortable to play guitar. Came with Charvel "chainsaw" hardshell case and two hex keys for adjusting the tremolo.

I would have preferred to see better pickups, a tone control, and a locking Floyd Rose.

I play mostly classic rock, ranging from Pink Floyd, to Black Sabbath, to Van Halen. I have used it through my modified Univox U65 amp, my Fender Eighty-Five amp, and through my DigiTech RP300 effect processor going to a PA. When going through the RP300, it sounds fine since the processor is creating the sound. When going straight to an amp without any effect, this guitar sounds really bad, to my ears. The pickups are very clear, and quite loud, but they just don't produce any interesting tones. None of the 5 settings give me a really cool tone. The best position is the neck pickup. Could pass for a strat's neck pickup. I think this guitar might be better suited to jazz-type tones, but I'm not sure.

I got this guitar used, but it was perfectly set up and in top shape. The hardware is very good quality and so is the construction. No blemishes. Considering the tremolo is not a locking one, it stays in tune fairly well. Would have been better if it were a locking one.

The instrument seems to be of top quality construction. I expect it to last forever.

Never dealt directly with Charvel or Jackson or Fender.

I've been playing for 5 years. Besides this guitar, I have a Fender '57 Strat reissue, a Charvel Fusion Custom, an El Degas Les Paul Custom and a Ritmo T2 spanish classical. My amps are a modified Univox U65G (awesome!) and a Fender Eighty-Five. For effects, I usually just use an Ibanez DM1000 rackmount digital delay and a Boss Heavy Metal. I also have a DigiTech RP300.

This is a very nice guitar for the price, and I don't regret buying it. I would recommend it to someone looking for its specific tone type. I wouldn't reccommend it for rock or blues, unless you are going to use a lot of processing or effects.

If it were lost or stolen, I would not replace it. I have enough other guitars.