Charvel Model 4

Alder or basswood Body, bolt-on Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, Jumbo frets, active Jackson H-S-S pickup config, tone, mid-boost, volume and three on/off pickup switches. Gloss black with Kahler trem.
The really nice thing about the Model 4 is that you can have any combination of pickups, you are not limited to a 3 or 5 way selector switch. A really good idea which for the life of me I cannot work out why other manfacturers don't do this now. Body is a little heavy but nothing serious. Really well made, in fact its a quality piece of workmanship and QC even after all these years (mines an 86) it stands the test of time.

This is where the guitar really shines. Its got sustain and I mean SUSTAIN. I've got set neck Gibsons that don't have the sustain of this thing. Its amazing. Fantastic for hard rock metal and shred with the rear humbucker pumping out some serious tone. The pickups are extemely quiet - the single coils are the quietest I've ever heard. The nice feature as I mentioned is that you can have any pickup combination due to the on/off switches. This is a fantastic feature and makes this guitar very very versatile indeed. I've strung mine with .10s and the sound is perfect for what I want. I mostly play punk/metal/rock and this thing can do them all, very well indeed.

I bought mine second-hand off Ebay. I'd seen these guitars in the 80s when I was a bass player and thought they were strange (i'd seen the model 1 with just the single volume control and that fascinted me, I was used to guitars with loads of dials and switches). I took the plunge and bought one from the states without even playing it. When it arrived the first thing I noticed was the weight. We're not talking Les Paul weight here but I expected it to be lighter. I strapped it on and was immediately struck by how great the neck was. Its absolutely perfect for me and I mean PERFECT. Its slim but not Ibanez Wizard thin. It reminds me of the neck of a Fender Jazz bass with the slim taper at the nut. Absolutely perfect. I doubt I'll find another non-Charvel guitar with such a perfect neck. The jumbo frets are fantastic and make this guitar a breeze to play and combined with the sustain I'm really loving it. I'm really struggling to find fault with this guitar, I've sat and thought about it and can honestly say its perfect. It was bought second-hand but the set up when I got it was great, although it had 0.12 gauge strings on it. I removed them and put .10s on and its great, no lowering of the action at all and no fret buzz.

This was bought second-hand and it came with a factory installed Kahler trem. The problem was, it has the flip catch locking nut but the screws and shims are missing so I need to get some for it. I can't really say at the moment what the Kahler is like but although I like Floyd Rose trems, the Kahler is easy to restring. Good for when you are gigging. Aside from that everything looks solidly built with quality parts. I would imagine it would keep on going forever.

Never been in touch with Jackson, but there are plenty of Charvel fan sites out there so no problem asking questions etc.

If I could give this guitar 11 I would do so without hesitation. I've been playing music nearly 28 years and I have played a lot of guitars, Gibsons, ESPs, Fenders but this blows them all away. The sustain and the fantastic neck are the winners for me with this guitar. The uncomplicated electronics, versatility and overall quality Japanese build are a bonus too. At present its my perfect guitar. I can't find a single fault with it. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another one and not think twice about it. In fact, I want to get another one although I might go for a Model 5 or 6 with the neck-thru design for even more sustain (if that were possible). I am quite surprised at how cheap these go for and they have to be one of the best kept secrets going. Why everyone gets hung up on Fenders and Gibsons when you could own one of these I will never know. Pound for Pound these guitars compare with the best of them and for the money you pay, I garuntee you won't be disapointed.

Nothing more to add here, fat frets, basswood body and kahler trem.
Great for what i need. Active pu's, active mid-boost, SSHconfig

I use this guitar as an alternative to my strats, I need a humbucker
and the choice of combining bridge and neck pu's is just wonderful for leads. I play Fender and Marshall amps, Jensen and Greenback-equipped. I use an Ibanez TS9, MXR dist+, MXR 6band-eq, MXR phase45 and a Jen-wha. Sometimes I hook up to my old lesliespeakercab too.
As a heavy alternative to my bluesy strats it's perfect.

Bought it used, it's 25 years away from the factory.

Solid as a rock. If I had to take only one guitar to a gig, I'd take
my strat.

Never had to deal with them. Do they even exist?

I love this guitar, cost me practically nothing including the original tweed-case with the metal-logo on.

Made in Japan, 22 frets.
Volume and 2xtone knobs, one on/off switch for each PU (cool)
One bridge humb and two single-coil, pretty standard but effective. Pickups are signed Jackson, electronics originally were passive, then active and now passive again..this guitar has a long story to tell! I bought it about 6 years ago but it has been produced in the early '80s I think.
When i bought it the electronic part was a mess, i tried to fix it and i make it passive again.
Don't know anythings about the woods, the neck is bolt-on, we have a Schaller tremolo bridge with locking tuners and everything over there works perfectly because this guitar can keep the tune for ages.

It can do everything you want.
Fit perfectly to heavy distortion but you may also love its clean tone, amazing sustain (whoa, it's a bolt-on neck!) and you can abuse of the tremolo without losing the tune (NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!)

I've also used it to play a light blues and she sounded gratly with the humb and the neck pu: wonderful warm sound, very nice.

Unluckily it's a little noisy, i think there's still something wrong in the electronics. Not so annoying after all, and as i said, i think it's due to the electronics customizations it had to endure.

I loved its action, strings very low on the frets and they don't 'fry' on jumbos. As i said, tremolo bridge and tuners make their work since the tune is immortal.

Well i bought it 2nd hand.
It has been produced in the early early '80s they told me.
It's *perfect*.

No rust, no cracks, no scratches...flawless guitar, looks like it will go on playing for many many years.

I dropped her once (it was a gig and i was drunk..we did stage diving together..) and when i ckecked it i discovered it was still perfectly tuned.

amazing.

this guitar is a rock.

Never dealt with.

I thought i was buying something like a medium quality-guitar, basically i needed it for backup aim, but i discovered it was a GREAT instrument.

Amazing versatile sound, highlander hardware and my finger loved that fingerboard more than the Gibson's one..(i have a Les Paul)!

Great.

i bought it in the 90s and it was made in japan i beleve

22 frets
1 volume, 1 mid booster, 1 tone, 3 individual togle switches for pickups
Basswood body, maple neck, Licensed by Jackson Floyd rose non recessed trem, It's a strat body White with black hardware.

This Guitar playes like a dream. i can get any sound i want out of it from rock, metal, to blues.. I have had tons of compliments on this guitars sound and playing.

The guitar came to me perfect.. no flaws and the only complaint I have is that the volume knob cracks.. so I spray it with lube from time to time..

well i have owned this guitar since the early 90s and had NO problums with it at all other then the crackly volume knob..

I have never needed to seek support for this guitar..

I have been playing 15 years.
i would recomend this guitar to anyone looking.. its just plain and simple a great guitar. I recenlty bought a jackson DK-2. but i know I will not give my charvel up. this guitar will always be next to me.

1987 ( I think) in Japan
22 frets
1 volume, 1 mid booster, 1 tone, 3 individual togle switches for pickups
HSS
active electronics (passive pickups though)
Basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard
Electric blue
Licenced by Jackson Floyd rose, JT6, non recessed
Jackson tuners, model unknown types
25.5", the neck is VERY thin, not flat (i.e not like a wizard II: the profile is curved even though very thin)
I give it a 10. It's a strat body and therefore can't really have 24 frets unless the pickups are spaced differently. For what you paid at the time and what I paid, it's great bang for bucks.

I play anything from classic rock to heavy metal (Punk, Ska, hard rock...) on a Peavey Envoy (40 watts). The pickups are silent enough, but I don't use the Single coils with much gain anyway. The humbucker is a good quality and I don't see anything wrong with it. Chords don't sound good with a lot of gain, it's not extremely accurate but it does the job well enough.
It can get pretty heavy but also have a lot of subtelty on the single coils
There's nothing I dislike. The individual switches make ANY combination possible even though I may coil tap the humbucker at one point or another.
I give it a 9 because obviously it's not DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan, but again this guitar was a rather 'budget' guitar. Still, it's totally great.

The finish is old of course but it aged well. Electric blue is a rather nice color. The actions is EXTREMELY low, but it's easily raisable with allen keys. The neck was perfectly straight, even after 17 years, which is aleays a great thing.
The guitar had no flaws. I'll have to clean up but the pots of course... 17 years is quite old hehe

It sure could do live playing. The Floyd stays in tune rather well, but of course gigging a Floyd guitar without backup is always a risk. The hardware lasted 17 years and it works great, so eh why not another 20! I plan on keep this guitar forever (it was my first)
I trust it and I can depend on it. Keep in mind it's 17 years old and it does need some cleaning, mods etc... For instance I had to solder a wire back on to the jack barrel because it had broke. That's a minor flaw that is totally normal in my opinion for a guitar that old.

Never had anything done it by Fender/Charvel/Jackson. I had it set up for .10 strings but the tech said they wouldn't fit? So I just got new strings and no problem at all with them. I have no idea about the warranty.

I've only just started and it's my first electric. I had heard great thing about the Charvel model series and I decided to jump for it. It was a risk as I had never played it. I absolutely loved it for the first moment. It will be a hassle taking care of it, and I am fully ready for it. I want to keep this guitar for a long time. I'll replace the pickups I think but the electronics seem fine. Maybe I'll add a gain booster as well. Who knows. I love it this way but it's open to mods as well.
The guitar is great this way alreayd. Perfectly metal look, while not overly agressive, great original features, good quality electronics and hardware. What more to ask? It gets a 10, the only 'problems' being due to age.

I thought I'd write a review (I'm in a nostalgic mood) on a guitar I used to own - a Charvel Model 4, reverse headstock, shark tooth inlays, 22 frets, Floyd Rose Locking Floating Tremolo (actually stayed in tune even when smacking the whammy bar). Active electronics (if you have passive then you're a model 3 or less). Made in Japan w/high quality construction. Another important point was the finish-a cracked one!! It was white with dark gray/black cracked finish-it looked like the guitar was dropped off a truck on I-95! Very unusual and quite rare (and actually pretty cool)! Sold it on consignment two years ago for $340. Another point was the ebony fretboard-very durable & nice! The neck had wide frets but thin diameter another nice combo. Decent shredder. Original Charvel case I believe it was manufactured in 1988. Jackson tuners.

Very versatile sound 5 way selector switch w/Humbuck/Single/Single arrangement full "rounded" somewhat stratlike sound. Good for 80's to rocky blues, punk, good metal guitar etc. (but not a country tele sound in any way). Used with distortion, chorus and clean - not noisy in any setting I recollect. Good clean (Charvels had their own tone back then). Versatile guitar-retro look (Reverse headstock & shark inlays!?)

Very nice "custom" finish (that cracked guitar look again). Very good factory setup but I also had it professionally done/setup for my playing (lowered). I had no problems with the bridge-guitar stayed in tune better than any guitar I ever had!! (i.e. Whammy Bar It to Death). Since it had active electronics, the one thing to remember is to bring those 9V batteries to your gigs/shows-although truthfully the 9V in this guitar lasted and lasted like the energizer bunny. The 9v had it own compartment-you had to take the screws out ()a little pain in the !@#, but I liked it better than those breakable flip tabs on other guitars.

Played it live for the first year playing out(cover band) - no problems. Finish was as nice 10 years later as it was when I bought it new(the white finish was just starting to age to a somewhat antique white color just a bit). Dependable good versatile axe (I had to get that 80's handle in somewhere)

Never had to deal with them (Jackson took over the operation a couple of years later)

20 years+ ~5 years in dance/cover, blues and hard rock/metal bands. (Nice interesting mix huh?) I believe it rivals most strat type guitars Ibanez, Hamer etc. but below PRS, vintage Fender Strats, customs but you basically get what you pay for. Nice retro look now, but I moved on to more modern guitars in the 90's or got vintage guitars or sold them too. Guitars I still have: 25/50 Les Paul Anniversary model (my fave), 73 Fender Strat RI, G. Washburn Signature Series USA (like an N4 (24 frets)only more custom w/metallic red finish), 6 string acoustic Yamaha Custom D45 with the nice flying eagle albalone inlays (Buy this one if you can find one-only made for one year with these superb custom inlays, great sound!!!!!), custom Bass (made by a local luthier). Sold a lot of guitars and gear over the years to thin the herd as they say. I wish I kept my 58' Gibson Korina Flying V (not the original but the first RI)they only made 1000 of these in 1983(25th anniversary)I believe. Anyway, the Charvel was just a nice guitar and a durable one at that. Recommended for under $350 a good buy if you like the look especially!

Made in 1989 in Fort Worth, TX, USA. It's got S/S/H pickups with three power shifts; proved to be handier than I thought. The pickups are active, made by Jackson (they're okay, although I'm planning to change 'em to Seamour Duncan Live Wire Heavy Metal pickups).
Body and neck are maple and the fretboard is made of ebony. Jumbo frets, nice to play
White finish, looks pretty cool to me.
It's got a Jackson Floyd Rose bridge, which I'm planning to change to original Floyd Rose.

Jackson tuners and yes, it's locking.

When I have changed the pickups and the bridge, I'll give this baby's features a sure 10.

I play many kinds of metal, from bands like Morbid Angel to traditional heavy metal, like Iron Maiden. I mostly play thrash and speed, though.
This guitar is made for metal. The Jackson pickups do their job, but they could be better, of course. Still, they're not too noisy. This guitar sounds just the way I want it to sound, it's really versatile! If only it had a little more balls, though..

As soon as I can get those Seymour Duncans, this section will get a 10 too.

I have found no flaws whatsoever in this guitar. It works just perfect and nothing I can complain about this section. The person I bought it from had changed the frets about two months before he sold it, but I don't think there's been any errors in the earlier frets. They just wore out too much for him in 13 years, I guess.

This section is definitely a ten.

I've done several gigs with this fine lady over a year's period, and it has never failed me. I play in an active metal band, and we do about 25-30 gigs a year. It keeps the tune just perfect.

I've had this guitar for about 14 months, so I can't really say for sure, but to my experience, it only gets better.

There are a few dents in the body of this guitar, but that's only normal and has nothing to do with it's durability.

I have a 100 per cent trust in this guitar. I've used it without a backup guitar several times on our gigs. If the strings can last the gig through, there's nothing to fear.

Never contacted them.

I've played electric guitar for six or seven years now. This is my number one guitar (the other one is an Epiphone Les Paul). I use this baby girl with a Marshall JCM2000 TLS100 head and two Marshall 1960 cabinets and I tell ya: there's nothing heavier than a Charvel and a two-meter pile of Marshall amplification!

This is a real quality guitar, just as good (if not even better) as USA made Jackson guitars. If it was stolen, I'd hunt the thief down and strangle him. I think no other guitar could do it for me (custom-made don't count :D).

If you can find one of these babies for less than 1000?, buy it. It's worth it.

Late eighties, japanese made Charvel Model 4. 22 fret, strat style guitar, but sans the pick guard. Shark tooth inlays. H/S/S-configuration, with a toggle switch for each pick-up - great idea IMO, why don't they do this anymore? The pu's are active Jacksons, the bridge humbucker a J-50. Active mid-boost. The body wood is maple (I think), and the neck is rosewood on maple. The body is finished in what I think is called "burgundy mist" - a dark pink with a metallic effect. Very nice. The bridge is a recessed Gotoh floating trem - non-original? - which is a very nice trem, perhaps the best Floyd-knock off. The tuners are Jackson. The neck has Jumbo Frets, and not too fat, not too thin.

Perhaps the stock Jackson pu's aren't the best, but they sure can scream. In the bridge position it's full spead ahead, with a great hard rock/metal sound, great for both leads and rythms. The neck pu produces a nice dark and mellow sound, and combinated with the bridge pu you get a clear and distinct clean sound, almost bell like. I hardly ever use the middle pu, so I won't comment on that. I always set the mid-boost to ten when playing dirty with the bridge-pu, and rolled back almost all the way when playing clean. The variety of sounds you can produce with this guitar is truly astonishing, given that you can turn each pu on and off individually. I've been thinking about swapping the stock pu's for some Duncans, but after experimenting with the pu-height I'm not so sure anymore, as the bridge pu has got a lot more bite now, after I heightened it.

I got it used so I don't now about the factory setup, but when I got it, the setup wasn't really to my liking. It was easy to get right though, and now it's very good, nice and low, perfect for my playing (shredding!). The neck is extremely fast. The finish on this one is just perfect, even now it's about 16 years old. Virtually no scratches and only very little play wear. The volume knob was loose and kept falling off, but all it needed was a little tightning. No noisy switches. The bridge is in very good condition aswell, but since I don't think it's original to the guitar I can't say how old it is.

Seems like it's built to last forever, I would definitely trust it to whithstand the hardships of gigging! ;-) Of course I wouldn't play it without a backup, but definitely a very high-quality instrument.

Never dealt with Jackson or Charvel (or Fender for that matter, who owns them now).

I've played about 12 years, and I currently own a Kramer Baretta as well. The two guitars compare well in quality and playability. I'm very happy with this one, and if I came across another one at nice price, I'd probably jump on it. These are very great axes indeed, and they can be had cheap these days - perhaps one of the best bargains on the used market, if you're into this kind of guitar.

Japanese Charvel Model 4, 22 frets, Vol, Tone, and Mid boost. Mini toggle for each pickup instead of 5\3 way selector. Great for muting the guitar, or using all three pick ups. s\s\h pups config. Active Jackson pickups. unsure about the body wood, metallic blue paint(very cool) Neck is maple w\ rosewood fingerboard and white pearloid dot inlays. Strat style w\ Kahler trem. Very good bridge. I was looking for a guitar with locking bridge that i didnt need to clip or clamp the strings into the bridge. The nut has a lock, and the bridge has rolling saddles. The 9-volt placment could been better, maybe its own compartment with a clip, instead of screws.

Obviously suits 80's metal, but great for any other kind of rock. But i mainly play hardcore\pop punk music (thursday, sum 41, lots of indie stuff) I play through a Carvin X-100B head and matching 4x12 cab. Charvel\Dean> electro harmonix big muff pi> mxr octave> boss TU-2 tuner> custom built by me tracking\octave\chorus\flanger pedal(basically a bunch of old boss pedals i wired together inside one big metal case) the charvel is great for anything distorted. but the cleans are great as well. very full sounding, even unplugged. Not a noisy guitar at all, unless your at 10 on your gain, but whats to be expected? No dislikes at all. why would i buy a guitar that sounded bad to me?

well, i got it used so the intonation was the first thing i set up, it was ok, but its always a plus to do it yourself. Pickups were fine, right where id want them. The fret work is great! smooth edges! I can barley feel the frets when i run my finger along the sides of the fingerboard. but this is really a guitar to guitar thing. the one made right after mine might have razor sharp daggers as frets. All the hardware was tight and clean, no rust. I like the fact that there is a regular nut, and then the locking nut is further up on the headstock. Great condition when i got it. its just sad when people let their guitars sit in garages and stuff. who wants a guitar with rust on the frets and shit?? and who would buy it used?

its survived this long so i dont think itll fail me anytime soon. its got the Kahler trem, and i read somewhere that in 86 or 87 they switched to floyd roses, so its old..but its in perfect shape. still trying to find someone to get the age of it, serial is #243965, with the "Ft. Worth, Tx" on the neck plate. I have two main guitars, so when i play one the other is my back up tehnically. but id use it solo if i had to, no problem. string change is a snap since it doesnt clamp the strings at the bridge. and all the points on the bridge that contact the strings are round. so no worries, about breaking a string. i also use 11's so.....

ehh jackson\charvels site isnt very informative..and the fact that the model name is nowhere on the guitar bothers me a bit. serial numbers on the site are only for US models...so.. used, no warranty, but if you own a guitar and cant fix it your self..(aside from a neack braking in half or something) who cares..fix it yourself..$$ saved!

Been playing for about 5 years (i am 20) i own a silver face fender champ amp, a Dean Evo FT guitar, a 1989 USA fender HM (heavy metal) strat (which im selling w\ a hard shell case.. ebay item number 2369095802) a bunch of solid state combo amps, none over 25watts. A BC Rich warlock rave bass, peavy musician 400 head, and lots of other random junk. my room is a pawn shop basically. Id definitly look into getting this guitar again(or something very similar) if it were stolen. Although insurance is a sweet, sweet thing :) if i had to add anything i think id add a switch to turn off the electronics so i could leave it plugged in and not drain the battery. also some LEDs wouldnt hurt the 'coolness factor' but thats just for looks, other than my little silly wants, its a great great guitar..go get one!!!

My Model 4 is a 22-frets beauty, made in USA. Serial number says the year was 1988 or 1989, not sure. Think it's '89. Quality work, I'd say.
Okay, the electronics are the coolest part of this one, I've never seen such thing before: Instead of a 3- or 5-way selector, I've got three power shifts for the pickups. I noticed it was a good system when I first time tried the front and rear pickups together, with the middle one off. The pickups are the original Jackson active electronics (S/S/H), no need to change them.
I've got the Jackson's licensed Floyd Rose bridge, which is pretty good too.
I changed my frets this summer. Got the Jumbo now.

My god. It is true: the best heavy metal guitars were made in 80's! This guitar here is a living proof. The Jackson active electronics are great for riffing, shredding, harmonizing, ballads, blues and stuff like that. I gotta tell ya, when I plug this monster into my Fender amp and Boss Metal Zone pedal, there's no other such thing. Really nice heavy sound.

The variety is pretty good, I think. The sound is not too thin, so you can play blues too with this one. Actually, you can play almost anything with Model 4. Well, maybe not classic..

This guitar is fully hand-made, so no quality breakdowns really. I really like this neck. My fingers aren't the longest ones, but I still can play this. The neck is fast to move around and feels good in your hand and under your fingers. White. Beautiful. Gotta love this.

Yup, this thing lasts. Changing frets once in 14 years really ISN'T that much. Actually I was quite amazed how this one doesn't even cut the strings easily (yes, I do use my Floyd Rose a LOT). That's always a good thing.

Haven't had need to contact them.

I've played since I was a child. This guitar is still the dearest to me. First REAL guitar I bought (after few cheap ones), so I'm pretty much bound to this one. It still serves me at gigs, mostly as a backup guitar (I usually use my Jackson RR3 at gigs). REALLY reliable, REALLY good to play. If only I'd buy a license Floyd Rose, this one would be pretty much perfect.