Charvel Model 6

i just recently bought a 1988 charvel model 6 (fire crackle finish).model 6's were made in japan i think,most charvels were.
it has 24 frets with shark-tooth inlays,rosewood fret board,and an extremely fast neck,probably the best neck ive ever played.1 volume 2 tone-but the cool thing about this guitar is that it has 3 toggles (one for the bridge,middle,and neck).model 6 (and the 4s) came with a single coil in the neck and middle and a humbucker in the bridge.pickups are jacksons (i think the model 6's had active,or a gain boost or something).model 6's are made from a maple neck and poplar wings (since its neck through).mine came in fire crackle finish,which is a harder on to find then the solid colors but sometimes there on ebay.mine also has the old jackson jt6 liscends floyd,but some came with khalers to,i think the older models.reguler jackson tuners too.the neck is AMAZING the owner before me sanded the paint off and its the faster neck and my favorite neck ive ever played.

it really suits more classic rock,metal,thrash,but i play clean too and the pickups sound pretty good clean,(specially for blues).i run it straight to a marshal dfx100 half stack and it sounds great.the pickups for the most part are about half and half on buzz/noise.it has a pretty bright sound to it,good highs,mids and lows,ive gotten anything from pink floyd (David Gilmore),to van halen (Eddie VH),metal church,and crimson glory(Jon Drenning) i play heavier music for the most part.the only dislike i can have about this guitar is it doesnt have an ebony fretboard,but that really doesn't matter much.

i didnt get mine from the factory i bought it from ebay,(funny story i watched it all week,along with a few other guitars,and right when it had 3 minutes left i bid 10$ more then the other guy and got it for 510$).when you ship a guitar you should always de-tune it so the neck doesnt have a lot of tension on it.so mine came unset up but i brought it to the luthier\tech and he set it up for me,low action,really easy to get to the 24th fret.the only flaws that my guitar had was at the tome of the guitar the paint had been worn,but it was re-painted.

model 6's are all roughly 20+ years old because i think in 1989 they started calling them model 650s.so they have stood the test of time.this guitar is like one of those old ibanez destroyers,it could go through hell and back on stage-but it will never stop working,they just dont make new guitars like they used to,before it was about quality now its about how much you can sell for how cheap.the hardware on the guitar is pretty good,the floyds saddles are starting to wear away-but i was probably gonna replace it anyway.the finish is pretty good,if its lasted 21 years its good.strap buttons are good but im probably going to replace them with locking ones,just to be safe.model 6s have to be one of the most dependable guitars ive played.i would gig without a backup,but its never safe.

never had to deal with them,now charvel is owned by fender,fenders always been pretty good on that.

ive been playing 2 years,and i own an explorer,fender strat,custom made strat,and this charvy(my favorite).if this guitar was ever stolen,ide probably go and find its like family :).i love everything about it,because its everything i was wanting in a guitar (and no guitars today have that,especially for $510)i wish i had another ;).

I am now the proud owner of two Charvel Model 6 six guitars. I bought one brand new circa 1984 and one last night from a seller on Ebay. My first one is Black Cherry and the other is creamy white. The white one is an earlier model and fitted with a Khaler trem system which is the now sought after model. The other guitar has the licenced Floyd Rose trem system. Both have a rosewood fret board with 24 thick frets which I like. Both Trem systems are good but being of a floating nature you break a string and you're bollocksed. The Floyd Rose system has a problem in as much as the Allen screws that lock teh strings in place round off over time and are difficult to replace. With this in mind the Khaler is the better system but are as rare as rocking horse sh*t (yes I'm English).

I like to play rock and blues and find that this guitar does the trick. My original black cherry has been a bit customised as I thought the original Jackson Pickups very weak and replaced the bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan distortion and the oher two pickups with SD Geoge Lynch Screamin Demons. I'm going t leave the white one as standard but haven't played it in anger yet. I love teh sound out of the original one. I have to mark this lower due to teh fact it now sounds to my liking after customisation.

The original guitar was set up OK but I took it to a specialist for a better set up. The guitar is finished perfectly I have no complaints

My original model has been used since the early eighties and has stood the test of time. As mentioned teh FLoyd Rose screws are rounding off which is a pain but not impossible to replce. I guess its good for 20 odd years of regular playing. It is totally dependable and belive it or not I have never broken a string despite having an aggressive playing style. I have gigged without a backup but I now have two of them so its OK. I use a Gibson 61 re-issue SG standard occasionally as well.

Never had to bother - its lika Japnese car never breaks down.

I have been playing since the seventees (Google - The Klubs). I use an original Marshall JCM 800 series amp and own two 800 series Cabs. I also have an orignal 70's Orange OR120 and a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. The Marshall is the dogs bollocks.
If my 6 was stolen I would be sick.

What year was it made? Where was is made?
It was made in 1987, in Japan I believe.

How many frets?
24, Rosewood Fretboard

Which controls are given (volume, tone, 5-way selector, 3-way, tap, etc...)?
This is where it gets unique, Volume, Tone, and there is another knob, and I'm not really sure, I think it another tone knob. But, it has 3 Micro switches, which is cool, because you it can act as like a killswitch for messing around with scratching ala-Tom Morello style, or as a Bypass if all of the swiches are inactive.

Pickup configuration? (S/S/H, H/H, S/H, Piezo, etc...)
SSH

Make and model of pickups?
Jackson stock, not too sure about the models. The brige is pretty good, wide tonal range, good cleans, the neck and mid pickups are pretty bassy and I'm not sure why, but I don't really like them too much, its a little to bluesy sounding for my style. (KSE, In Flames, Children of Bodom, etc)

Active or Passive electronics?
Active circuit, 6db Mid Boost, PASSIVE PICKUPS. The active circuit adds alot of depth to the sound.

Body and neck woods? (Maple, Mahogany, Alder, Ash, Basswood, Koa, Plywood, etc...)
Lol, I like how they made plywood an option... No, but Maple Neck-tru with Poplar wings. This sucker is the weight of a Les Paul, no joke.

Finish (Satin, transparent, quilted top, flamed top, etc...)
Satin, nice and smooth.

Body style (strat, tele, dreadnought, cutaway, thinline, etc...)
Think Jackson Soloist.

Bridge style (Tune-O-Matic, Floyd Rose, Wilkinson, Tele-style, String-thru body, stop tailpiece, etc...)
Jackson J-30 or something. Not as smooth as a floyd, but it works for being 20 years old.

Tuners (Locking? Non-locking? brand of tuners - Sperzel, Gotoh, Grover, Schaller, etc...)
Jackson tuners, pretty good, locking nut needs to be replaced.

Neck/Scale (Fat, Thin, Jumbo Frets, Rosewood, Maple, etc...)
25 1/2 Scale, thinnest neck I've played, excellent for shredzorz.

Any included accessories? (Case, gig bag, strap, cable, tools, humidifier, etc...)
I got this sucker cheap, came with a tweed case from a Pawn Shop.

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
This suits my style great, I play in a hardcore band, and it has some great crunchy hi-gain stuff. It works great for KSE sounds, gets some thick, meaty tones. I also dig the clean, its crystal clear on all 3 pickups.

What amps and effects are you using it with?
I use a Zoom G9.2tt, thu a Crate FXT120, the Zoom is a great MultiFx unit, great variety of tones, and it responds well to whichever guitar you are using, almost like a tube amp.

Is it noisy? On what settings?
Bridge pickup has some hum, but only on high gain settings, which is understandable, and it will be for any any pickup. Mid/Neck are nice and quiet.

Rich/Full sound? Bright sound?
Very bright, but yet punchy, and full. Not like a certain shitty BC Rich.


What kind of sounds can the guitar make? How much variety?
I'm pretty sure this could accomplish pretty much anything that a Strat could do.

Likes and dislikes?
I love the tone, but the neck and mids need to go, too bassy, no life to them. I really only use the neck for leads, and I have to combine with the Brdige to get some good lead tones.

How well was the guitar set-up at the factory? (How was the action?)
Well I set it up myself, since it was used, plays great, some buzz on the low E however.

How well were the pickups adjusted?
Bridge was a little high, had some mad feedback at first, lowered it, no problems now.

Did the guitar contain any flaws? HAHA. This is where it gets good. Shall I begin?

The MORON who owned this thing before me for reasons COMPLETELY unknown to me, decided to sand off part of the elbow rest, and part of the outer edge. Has a nice piece of exposed wood with some tung oil finish over it. He was a smart cookie. BUT THATS NOT ALL : The guy drilled two holes through the J-30 bridge to lock it down, and drilled into the guitar, and used washers underneath to keep it level... Wow... I unbolted it and everything, but christ.

I have no opinion on this category though, because It was used.

Will this guitar withstand live playing?
This is my main stage guitar, I have used it from Oct. 12 2007 to present, for every single show, and I intend on keeping that streak.

Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Yeah, defiantely, but I'm going to get a Floyd Pro and put that sucker on, and a new locking nut.

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?
Its still briiight red after 20 years. Soliiiiid.

Are the strap buttons solid?
Indeed.

Can you depend on it?
I'd trust this thing with my life.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
When you havea guitar with a Floyd, never gig without a backup.



One of the things that turned me onto this guitar, is it FEELS expensive, it doesnt feel like it will break on you, like some LTD's that I've played, or some of the newer Jacksons. I remember reading a review that said you could throw this thing off a building and it would still work or something, and I would totally agree. 10/10.

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
Never dealt with them, but I don't think there is a contact on the Charvel Site. Not sure.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
I've been playing for 4 years, I'd say I amount alot of my skill to this guitar, because having a good guitar will make you want to play, and a **** one will turn you off of it. I owned an Ibanez GRX20 as my first guitar, and a BCRich '04 Virgin, and this one is BY FAR the best.

Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this guitar?
Nothing. No regerets at all.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I would impale the ****** who stole it on the headstock of my BC Rich. No, but seriously, if it were stolen, I'd look all over Ebay and stuff for another, these things are fantastic. Great value too, you can usually get them in really good condition for about 600-800 bucks.

What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
Favorite feature... The Killswitches. Theyre sick, they make the guitar. The neck is nice and thin, I love that, its so easy to play and sweep and everything. Neck Thru for 250 bucks? You wont find that anywhere.

Did you compare it to other guitars? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
Actually a couple days ago, I went to a shop, and brought this thing with me, and compared it to a : Jackson DKMGT, Jackson DK2M, and a Gibson Explorer. The only thing close to it was the explorer, but the neck was alot thicker.

Anything you wish it had?
Better neck/mid pu/ps

Anything else you'd like to share?
If you have the chance DO NOT HESITATE, BUY THIS GUITAR, you will not be let down!

1987 Charvel/Jackson Model 6, White, Neck thru Body, Active Circuitry, S/S/H Jackson pickup config, Jackson tremelo system w/lock. Purchased new in 1987 and still have it.

This guitar suited all my needs. I played in a Top40 cover band and it performed perfectly thru transistions from clean to drive to dirty. This guitar (I believe) has Excellent tone capabilities. Active circuits are quiet, fret action to die for, and a very fast neck. I once replaced the bridge PU with a popular hotter humbucker and ended up reinstalling the original. The original had much more warmth and response. I could pull this out of the case at any time and it would be perfectly in-tune (other guitarists were amazed by this). I love the sound and feel and it is my main guitar. My other guitars are a '97 LesPaul Standard, and a Jackson SL3.

The Guitar was delivered in perfect condition (new). I bought it with out even having seen it. All I needed was the picture. I was pleasantly surprised as it exceeded all my expectations.

No Flaws.

Ive had it since 1987, and its been my "Main" guitar. Ive had the frets replaced a few times during my busy years.

I used it for a number of years without a backup !

On an average, I would break about 1 string a year.

Never needed it.

Ive been playing the guitar since the first appearance of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.

No regrets

I would buy another in a heart beat if I could find one.

I have never played or owned a sweeter guitar than this one.

I took a chance on the looks, and the fact that I saw a few "Rock Stars" using one.

I wish/hope that it lasts forever.

If anyone out there has one and would like to sell it, let me know.

1986 i think... but i'm not sure. it was when they had Kahler tremolo which RULES and doesn't take out much wood from body. and lock at the nut.
24 frets

despite being made in the 80's this guitar still sounds great!! doesn't sound cheesy. it's a very focused sound, with clear attack... i actually want a buttery sloppy sounding guitar as well for different applications. but this guitar has amazing tone i've gotten many comments on it's sound. really quality.

the action is amazing. that's why i've had it so long. nothign has come along to replace it's playability. it plays like a dreams. so smooth. i never have to get it set up.

i've had this guitar since 1987 or 88. i had to change the tremolo springs and that's about it.

i'd rate it as the best guitar i've ever had, and that's saying something. though... i don't like it's cheesy 80's look. the Jackson head stock it really unattractive to me. in the studio that doesn't matter of course but on stage it makes me feel a little dated. hahahaha!
i'm rating this catagory as a 9 only because i don't like the guitar's look.

All know the features by now. My came with a Jackson JT-6 trem I believe. This does NOT, repeat NOT have active pickups. Only an active circuit which has a 6db mids boost. Individuals switches which is something different. Everything you could want and need. But still has part that may need upgrading furthur down the track..

Does it all!! SSH pickup setup. From bluesy strat, twangy country, clean jazz and heavy rock to metal. I mainly play hard rock, blues or shred/metal. Does them all. But again, I'm the type that never satisfies so may change the pickups for experimental purposes. Huge tonal range from stock

Plays like a dream, have never played a neck like this before. Wish all necks are like this. Huge jumbo frets. Top quality build.

This was a creme-of-the-crop 80s guitar. Course its fine. Again the JT-6 trem seems like its only weak point. And active circuit...always has spare batteries.

Never dealt with

This is pretty much a Japanese SL-1. Which in my country is a $5000+NZ guitar. Paid a bit more than what I would have liked. But had to get it after having a look. Jacksons...Charvels best guitars. This was one of the best Charvels made outside of USA. I envy all you who have scored this guitar for super cheap or had the body and made it a project. All in all. I don't think you can get another guitar with half the quality that this is. I don't think I'll sell mine...not for a long long time.

It's got everything, toggles for each pickup, locking tremelo, etc. One of the most comfortable necks you will ever play. And the jumbo frets are SWEET!

Very versatile sound, very quiet active electronics. For hard rock and metal, there is nothing better. For most styles of music, it's an excellent choice (for blues, I personally prefer the sounds from a "real " strat. I mainly play thru a POD these days, and the sounds that you can get from this setup are unbelievable (if you don't have a POD, do yourself a favor and get one!)

I purchased my Model 6 new in 1989. It is in MINT, original factory condition, with a perfect finish (it's off-white, or cream). Was used purely in the studio - and is in NEW condition. They don't make guitars like this anymore (only if you are spending over $2k). The action is second-to-none ..... very low & fast, with NO fret buzz. Anyone who plays my guitar doesn't want to put it down!

After owning this guitar for 17 years (can't believe it's been that long), and playing it much at home / studio, it is in as-new condition. The only issue is a slight crackle in the volume pot when you increase/decrease, but that's to be expected.

Definitely a classic, and they truly don't make them like this anymore. From the quality of the finish, to the action, versatile sound, the look, etc.

If you are a serious buyer, and looking for a mint condition Model 6 (with the original case too, of course), I would consider the right offer. You can email me, and I can send pics. But - be advised that I'm not going to give this away. I'm fairly confident that you will never find another in the same condition, no matter how long and hard you look.

Dark Metallic Blue finish, strat style body, Khaler Pro Bridge with trem bar, 24 fret one piece neck, 1987 model form Japan, Active pickups...

Over all I thought it was a very flexible sound, equally at home in a Jazz or rock genre, the combination of the front and mid pickups was a very nice Strat like sound..slight buzz when in this mode as you would expect from a single coil.

Beautiful to play, one of the easiest upper registers to access on any guitar I have played, I had a very low action and unless you had it spot on it used fret out when you bent from the 21st fret to a top E..apart from that very fast enjoyable guitar to play..

I bought the guitar brand new in 1987, it was mostly good, I had the Khaler pro version of the guitar, and used 009 to 046s, I used to have to apply a little bit of solder to the windings on the two top strings, E and B to prevent early breakages...once this was done the guitar was fine..

the only other issue was the Battery life, if you left the guitar on the stand plugged in, it seemed to run the batteries down, which if very inconvienent when you go to play and have no sound..

I had a few issues with the soldering on some of the internal connections becomeing falky as well..

I've been playing 23 years, I bought the guitar brand new in 1987 for AUD $2500 and hocked in in 2001 for AUD$300 to cover some debts..I wish I still had it...it was my first quality guitar and one fo me favourites... I have every sort of rig imaginable from Marshal, Laney heads with Quads, so solid state combos, Messa Boogie and Multi effects units like, Zoom, ART, and PODS...

I didn't like the three seperate control switches for the pickups, whilst great in a studio or practising not so great in a live setting.

The only other guitar I have owned which is comparable was my GEM777vBK I think it was...

active, mid boost, Kahler floyd type trem...compostie radius!!

Fan-friggin-tastic. I've never hear a guitar that sounds so pure direct into a computer. The clean sounds through the notoriously BAD M-box pre's are amazing. I don't even eq the thing when the mids are rolled up. Sounds almost like a jazz box. I say this because I can't think of a better way to acuratly gauge the "true" tone of a guitar.

action is unbelivable...I like to play blues/funk so i've got 11's on her... the easiest guitar I've ever played! Period. Thinking about 12's.

I love the fat-ass frets, they're wide...don't know the actuall size.

Built extremely well. You can feel it when you pick it up. Just like you can feel it when you pick up a squire. The thing is solid.

If you see one that doesn't look too 80's to deal with buy it. You'll be glad.

1986 Charvel Model 6, Japanese Made.
24 Frets, Humbucker-Single-Single. 3 Toggle Switches.
1 Jackson J50BC Humbucker, 2 Jackson J200 Stacked Humbuckers (single coil size).
Active Electronics, via Jackson JE1200 Active Preamp. This preamp is separate from the pickups.
Maple Neck thru body, Poplar Body Wings.
Glossy Black finish.
Kahler Flatmount Tremolo and Locking Nut.
24 Frets, 25.5" scale.
3 Knobs - but I have this honey rewired for a simple passive setup. The knobs are now 2 Volumes (one for the bucker and one for the stacked buckers together), and one Master Tone.

The sound on this guitar is really good - if you've got all the original gear in there and a new battery. There's no hum on the single coils because after all, they're stacked buckers and not true single coils. The original mid-boost/cut knob is a nice touch. As with all H-S-S axes, the versatility is just fantastic. It's a honey for the lead players out there who just aren't happy sticking to one genre of tunes. That's what sells the Jackson SL-1, and the Model 6 is the closest thing to an SL-1 without actually being one. The three toggles make pickup combos intuitive.

I currently have this one rigged for a simple passive setup, no frills. I thought about coil-tapping the bridge bucker but really, that's not necessary.

I did try an EMG HZ H4 in the bridge position - got the tones you'd expect. Tried also a Dimarzio X2N in the same spot - also the tones that you'd expect from the pickup. The woods of the instrument don't tend to color the sound or the feel much - the maple neck goes right through the body and therefore it's maple near the pickups. The poplar wings don't do a whole lot for resonance. Now I have a simple generic rock pickup in there (Jackson older model), and I'm loving it. Yeah yeah I know nobody likes non-top-o-the-line pickups anymore, whatever. I like those too, and I use them sometimes. Variety is gooooood. Variety is gooooooood.

I play her through these: Peavey 5150 II/Crate BV Cab, Crate BV/BV Cab, Marshall and Fender practice amps. And whatever I can get my hands on for a the moment. Honestly the guitar/amp combo makes little difference.....but I s'pose I'll mention that 5150s love passive circuits and dislike active ones. And when I say active, I'm including overdriven passives like the X2N.

When I picked up the axe it was in bad shape. It is after all, better than 20 years old. This one had seen better days. But all that is behind us now. We're happy now.

The gear on this honey is excellent. If you're familiar with Kahler then you know how sturdy they are, and how smooth. This one is really old and overused however, and it's developed that problem of not returning to zero point. I don't care however, because I fixed the bridge. Feels great.

The Kahler locking nut is solid as hell, as you may know. Far superior to standard locking nuts - it has a cage style that envelopes the clamping gear. No twisted pegs etc. Also, I went down to the local nuts and bolts shop and picked up some new screwing pegs for it, but with larger heads on them for ease of tightening. The smaller ones tended to strip too easily. All better.

The action when I got her was atrocious, and I've worked a lot on that. The truss rod does a lot, not just a joke-rod. The Kahler is fully adjustable which is also good. I've got the action down to a reasonable height, however I do get a fair amount of buzz. Wish I could fix this, but I'm not sure why it's there. Neck is straight as an arrow it seems...could be the fret wear I suppose.

She's got some cosmetic flaws from abusive owners of the past....but just as you would any girlfriend, I lovingly glossed them over until you don't notice them anymore. Don't ask.

The toggle switches it came with are beasts - still on there after all this time and working great.

The tuning machines are in great shape. The only thing about these is that the low string one is a bit twisted, so the knob leans toward the others. Doesn't cause any problems, just a bit tower-of-pisa -ish.

The mother of pearl inlays are beautiful, but some of them have come up a little. I s'pose one day I might have the instrument refretted, and I'll see about having those glued down or something.

Overall she feels great, one of those that seems to melt away the problems once you get it in your hands. If you want to know what these honeys feel like, just go play an SL-1 for a while. The neck is the same, the feel is the same.

She's dependable - or else the Model 6 wouldn't be selling on eBay 20 years after it was made for 600 buckaroos. Consider that. How many 20 year models are still selling, period? They don't just sell because they're vintage. They're not rare and SL-1s have all that they have and more. So why are people paying out the urethra for them these days? Cuz they kik.

I have no doubt that this instrument will be raping asses when my assraping days are all over. It is built to last.

The finish is damn solid. Won't wear off for a while, and that's nice to know. I've seen Les Pauls with as much play on them with neck finishes going thin....

The hardware will come and go, but the original 'ware on the axe is good enough for another decade for sure.

Lemme put it this way. If I went insane one day, and decided to take my hammer and render my 5 guitars to pulp, I would have the most difficulty destructing the Charvel.

No Opinion here, never tried them. However, I have enjoyed the fact that there's a significant group of guitarists that love the old Jackson/Charvies. The most help I've gotten is from Dave at this website: www.fretsonthenet.net

She's a fantastic value.

If you're like me, you wanted an axe that was a neck-thru strat style body with HSS configuration. You like the Jackson Soloist but are thinking that the Model 6 is a good solution. Guess what - it is. However, be sure to ask what condition the frets are in. You can trust that the neck is still straight, but be sure that you're not picking up a new guitar that will immediately need a refretting (150-300$). This is a good safety measure for the purchase of any older guitar. Also, just to learn from me, find out if the inlay sticks up a little in any places. Mine does.

Loads of versatility here, everything you could ever want in a guitar and more. Read the other reviews for full features.

After reading about this guitar, and reading that it equals a USA Soloist, I decided that I wanted one, and managed to find one without a lot of damage (except for a headstock that had split in 2, but it got fixed pretty well)
When I got it, it was all original. The singlecoils sound surprisingly warm, but the humbucker was a little weak, kinda low output, and not very special. I changed the humbucker to a DiMarzio ToneZone and now the sound is how it should be. Tight, nice low-end growl and round, warm highs.
The midbooster can really give me that extra bit of growl when chording, or get my high a bit warmer.

The standard Jackson JT-6 bridge plainly sucks. It just wouldn't stay in tune when diving at all. I managed to find a NOS Kahler 2700 bridge cheap and had it put on. Now the guitar is a lot more stable, but it still won't return 100% decently after a dive, I have to pull up to get it entirely back in tune (only after a big dive though) I suspect this is because of the nut, which is hardly cut.
The guitar plays great though. I can reach all frets without any problems, and the flat fingerboard makes shredding easy, this more than compensates for the 2 'problems' I'm having, the guitar plays GREAT.

This guitar has been rocking since 1987 and from the looks of it, it'll rock for another 50 years. There's a light crackle in the pots, but the neck is straight, hardly any scratching of the paint etc. If I didn't know what it was and someone would tell me my guitar is 1 year old, I would believe him.

Haven't delt with'em, don't expect that I'll have to.

I've been playing for almost 2 years now, and apart from the 'six, I own an Epiphone Goth Les Paul, ENGL Fireball head, Behringer slant 4x12 cab and Shure wireless kit (or at least, that's what the guitar is getting played through) Even though I'm 18 years old,I've paid for every single bit of my gear myself, so I've learned how to judge a good or a bad guitar.
If it were stolen, I'd track it down and smack the skull of the thief to pieces with it.

Charvel Model 6: Japanese version of Jackson Soloist, manufactured from 1987-1989, 24 Fret Neck-Thru, Maple Body, Rosewood on Maple Neck, Jackson Pick ups(S-S-H),Tone Control are Active, Jackson Tremolo.
New they went aroung $900. I bought mine used for $225 with case at Guitar Center in Boston. Guitar is Pearl White. Clear Coat finish used in those days allows finish to "Yellow".
Tremolo is cheap and Pick ups are awful. But bang-for-buck is where this guitar shines.

Stock Jackson pickups are brutally Midrangey sounding. Active circuit is useless. I installed EMG 81 humbucker and two S Single coils. Guitar wails with new puckups.
The tremolo is very cheap. I replaced with Original Floyd Rose. Guitar was bought used for $225. Very good value. I put about $400 into the guitar(EMGs/Floyd). For $650 you can't find a guitar that beats my guitar's tone. And with the Original Floyd it's tuning
stability is flawless.

Here is where the guitar shines. The neck is awesome. The Maple body is an excellent wood. The guitar's construction is first rate. I've found the Model 6 equal to any American Jackson I've seen. I own 1985 Jackson RR1 and the Model 6 is it's equal.
The only flaw is the cheaper components used to keep the price lower than a Soloist. The pickups and bridege need to be replaced.

The guitar is a workhorse. Reliability is where this guitar shines. The Maple body is heavy and makes the guitar quite durable. I've had this guitar over 10 years and have played out hundreds of times. The guitar has never failed me. I would play agig without a backup with thjis guitar no problem!!
The finish is top-notch other than the clear coat which allows the White paint to yellow.

I've contacted Jackson with questions about my Model 6, my Randy Rhoads (RR1) and Soloist (SL1). The company was always professional and courteous regarding my Jackson guitars. I was Jackson is unable to provide info regarding the Japanese Charvels. I was told to contact Wayne Charvel about the Model 6. At that time it was www.waynesguitars.com
When I e-mailed him, Wayne was very prompt and helpful in his
response..

I've been playing 20 years and own numerous guitars with both Duncans and Dimarzios. I have 2 American Jacksons(RR1 and SL1 with Duncans), '83 Gibson Vee (Duncans), Two Ibanez RG's (Dimarzios).
But the Charvel is my workhorse. I do studio work and the Charvel with the EMGs can get all the tones. I really suggest installing EMGs into the guitar.
I bel;ieve the incredible sustainis a combination of the neck-thru construction and the Maple body. Although a replica of my Soloist, the Model 6 sounds better. The Soloist is not Maple.
The real value of this guitar is the fit and finish and the fact that the guitar can be bought for $300 or so used. hard to beat for that price.

charvel model 6, made in japan. stock jackson pups, passive. maple neck, alder sides neck-through design. jackson tremelo. 25 1/2" scale length. real mop sharkfin inlays.

hard rock and clean stuff and blues is what i play and this guitar covers everything ok. seymour duncan pickups i've tried in it sound alot better than the stockers, no suprise there. the only sound it can't nail is the clean snappy sound of a bolt on neck. i'm giving it a 7 and using stock pups for review purposes.

perfect execution here, the neck is still perfectly straight after 15 years, the neck to body joint is still perfect with no aging issues. i've had new usa gibson lp's that don't get close to this charvel mij perfection. this model's neck is very comfortable for me because it's set back a little unlike the usa soloists that are straight with the body.

this model 6 has been played hard for years as most of them have because they are works of art and won't be found sitting in a closet because they play so well. i hand polished the guitar and brought up a good shine, hell i'ts 15 years old. as durable as anything out there.

they don't want to remember these since they are equals to the usa soloist line. in 1990 they went with the 650 xl that is not made as well as these 6's even though they used a better schaller trem it just does'nt compensate for that 650xl cheaper fit and finish.

these model 6 charvels are as good as usa soloists- the cheaper tremelo and pups. the only thing i don't like is that i can't get that clean spappy sound on the low e and a string like i can on a premium bolt-on super strat. it is what it is and it does sustain very well for a lightweight poplar body. the neck is a little too thin but it is very stable. for the price there is nothing to compare it to. i use my lp custom for the warmer and heavier sounds and a superstrat bolt-on neck for other clean sounds. the fit and finish of my model 6 is right up there with $5000 usa gibson historics and a few other pricey and rare guitars. warning: if you try one you'll be hooked! they are hard to find in un-battered shape, i plan on finding another since they are one of my favorite bargain guitars.

in this review there will be a comparison between 2 guitars, the model 6 before modification (like it came from factory) and after the rebirth.

some information about the guitar (as it was)
* Japanese made superstrat. year of manufacturing 1987. these guitars were made from 1986 to 1988.
* features a 24 frets neck (standard superstrat thing) and is neck through body
* has a volume, tone and midbooster knob. has 3 different toggleswitches to switch each PU individually on or off.
* HSS configuration, a Jackson J-50BC humbucker in the bridge and 2 J-200 stacked humbuckers in the middle and neck position.
* has an active 6 dB midboostercircuit, the pickups are actually passive.
* as said a neck through body design, with the neck being maple and the wings poplar (should sound like alder, but I have heared different things about that)
* The finish was a glossy metallic solid finish, mine being cherry black (=purple). the finish is actually really hard. the neck is painted as well.
* has a JT6 licenced floyd rose tremolo. The early model 6's (made in 86) had a Kahler Pro.
* has a Kahler style stringlock, behind the nut. has some jackson tuners of some kind
* the neck is flat and D shaped, thinner than a ibanez wizard (which surprised me), jumbo frets, rosewood fretboard and MOP "sharkies" sharkfin inlays. 25.5" scale.
* came with case, but mine is not the origial, according to the logo on it: a toothpaste logo, which came in to use in 1988/89.

what did I change?
1. JT6 trem out and Schaller Floyd Rose licenced in. Chose this one over the more bright sounding OFR.
2. Orignal PU's and (active) electronics out. Replaced them by a DiMarzio Steve's Special in the bridge, a SD lil' 59 in the middle and a SD lil' screamin demon in the neck.
3. toggle switches replaced bij a superswitch and 1 toggle (to add the bridgehumbucker anywhere).
4. new coat of paint, neck kept natural.

these are the 2 scenario's that are compared to each other the entire review.

I usually play rock and metal, recently I added some pop to my "playlist" as well, because I entered a coverband, but my main styles are rock and metal.

my setup is pretty pure: no effects, only guitar and amp:

guitar -> Mesa/Boogie Quad Preamp -> Mesa 50/50 poweramp -> 1*12" cabinet

this gives the purest tone without any fuzzy effects, mayby I will buy something like a intellifex or alike one day, something without tonesucking abilities.


old.
The first thing that crossed my mind when I got it (I ordered it in the US, while living in the Netherlands) and plugged it in was: that sounds like crap. The bridge humbucker lacked punch, attack, balls, etc etc. The singles were thin, no-output-kinda-crap things. I came to understand why the previous ownwer wanted to get rid of it. The pickups were supposed to be really quiet, which the singles surprisingly were, but the humbucker was at best described as "not to much noize" and at worst as noizy, even trough my mesa amp.
The guitar sounded "a little more decent" with the midbooster on full, but more than a little is to much credit; thin, fuzzy, no character, no mid, no low and no high end. the singles were dead and the humbucker was even more dead.
The variety of soumnds was theoretically huge: there is a midbooster, 3 toggles (which gives 7 options, 8 when "off" is regarded as option as well), so a lot of sounds available, but none usefull because of the pour quality.

Conclusion for original set up: bad, really bad, a 3 at most, but the new one is a different story:

Pickups make something like 70 of 80% of the guitar, the rest of the tone is influenced by the construction and the kind of wood. this doesn't say anything about sustain by the way.
As said, there were some new PU's installed: a Steve's Special, lil 59 and lil screaming demon. The difference that made was like day and night. The guitar started to live, to shine etc etc. Ok, this is my taste for PU's, but I think every PU would have done something like that as well. The guitar suddenly had a distinctive, warm character. tons of low end, nice high end, punch, arrack and I was suddenly really happy with my model 6, sustain is phenomenal due to the neck through and the heavy woods used.
I already had the idea of changing PU's before I bought the guitar, because I don't like singlecoils, so not a big deal to change them.

conclusion:
old = liveless, muddy (humbucker), thin (singles), no output, no high end, no low end and no midrange, just mud.
new = living, warm, fat, can even sound aggressive.

old = 3
new = 9

I got it second handed. guitar seems to be made pretty well, as far as I can judge that right now in the current state.

My guitar has a long gigging life behind it's back, at least it looks like that: the JT6 trem was completely worn out, as were the tone and midbooster pot. About the floyd: the quality of those licenced Taiwanese made copies are lowsy, plain and simple. but hey, this guitar is already 16 years old and that is only 5 years younger than I am!

the finish was rock hard, but really worn as well, lots of scratches, at the back even to the wood!! I have no idea how that is possible: the paint was really hard.
The frets were also worn, I have the idea they had never been dressed when I got it. I had em dressen, but next time I am going for a refret job, they are to low right now.

gigging without a backup? no way. why? not due to the quality of the guitar, but it is a Floyd Rose equipped one, and you simply need a backup for such a guitar.

so, durable? could have been better, but the previous owner thought it to be a tool, not an instrument, so that counts as well.

never dealt with them.

I play for 13 years right now. Unlike many other guitarists I haven't owned tons of guitars: a Yamaha pacifica 112, Gibson Les Paul Studio, Jackson PS4 (load of crap), Ibanez JPM and this one. I only have the Yamaha (project guitar), Ibanez and Charvel at this moment and I think I will settle with it. Tone is exactly what I want and the playability is really great. Pobably I will sell my Ibanez as well to get another one or model 5 or USA SL-2, which are (qualitywise) almost identical guitars.

The greatest thing about this guitar is the sustain, for a Floyd Equiped guitar it is phenomenal. Besides that is the warmth in it. it seems to have more low end than an USA soloist, which is really cool, the bottom is massive! Comine that with a lil' screamin demon in the neck and you can get the smoothest tone imaginable.

why this guitar, well lets see...
In the first place I wanted a neck through guitar, because I hate the heel of my Ibanez, although it is an all acces joint. If you think neck through, and you play superstrats, I think Jackson Soloist. big problem: I am a Dutch student and in Holland these guitars are way overprized (secondhanded something like $2000,- and new over $3000,-). so, looking for alternatives. I stumbled upon a great forum, the JCFonline forum, where I read that a model 6 was the guitar to get in that case: the only difference with a USA from that period was the logo: charvel instead of "jackson made in USA". So the choice was easy: get myself a Model 6.
All said and so done: model 6 ordered from the US (pretty exciting thing to do: will everything work out as planned; off course it didn't), but after 4 weeks I had my model 6 and I was off to make it the way I wanted it.

so, right now it is the guitar for me, and until I have a SL2 it will be my main axe.

1987, made in Japan with 24 frets neck thru construction, three independant togggles, active mid boost, tone and volume, all active pick ups H-S-S configuration. Some sort of deep metalic purple metal flake finish. Sudo Strat body design, Kahler trem still up and functioning. Included the original tweed hard shell case. Everything, with the exception of the strings and frets, are original. Only one small nick in the pointed headstock and a few surface scratches on the back, probably from belt buckles. I bought this axe off of a friend of my cousin. It is my understanding that the guitar was used regularly for gigging and basement jams. Held up exceptionally well for the the years on it. I bought this guitar over the summer of 1997, already ten years old at that point. I choose this guitar over a brand new soloist because I preferred the set up and the price I must say was quite a better bargain, about $750 less than the soloist that I was checking out at the time.

This guitar can do any style that you wish, it just takes a little more tweaking than a lot of other guitars because of the active electronics. It can scream like a banshee for metal, or play very bright and clear tones for jazz and the like. I enven do a little classical on it from time to time just to turn some heads, sounds great even for classical. I currently play this thing through a Line6 Flextone. The amount of knobs and tweaking neccessary for the amp, not the guitar, can get exhausting, but sounds from the super sweet to the raging insane can all be dialed in on this set up. There does not seem to be much that the orginal setup of this axe cant handle.

I dont know about the factory setups, bought it used. But the '6 plays extremely fast (faster than I can manage, some times I just have to hang on for the ride). It is hard to see the bookmatching through the finish, but from what I can see it looks pretty damn good. The routings are all great and expertly cut and all the original hardware is still tight, pegs, trem switches and the like. Can't really complain about how anything has held up over the years.

This guitar can handle about anything. Probably could serve as a bat in MLB. Never seems to miss function. Any time I plug it in it is ready to wail. THe finish is very think and will probably outlast my life time. No risk of the strap buttons coming off. I can and always depend on it. I'm not doing world tours (yet) but I can depend on it for gigs with out a back up, except for the occasional string snap.

Never had to deal with the Co.

I have been playing this axe for five years now. If it were stolen, I would try to find another to buy. I love that it is always ready to rock. I love the neck thru construction and the lightening speed action. I compared this guitar with the soloist. Chose the Six because of the toggles and price. I wish it cam with genie who could grant me even more wishes.

I'm somewhat uncertain of the exact year ..i believe its a 87, 88, or 89 judging by the logo, neck joint, trem, and asian make.

it wsa 24 beautiful frets ... not as nice a USA jackson but damn good for a asian model.

it's a typical 80's solid body super strat in like fire engine/blood red.

The controls are a switch for each pick up and volume, tone, and boost knobs. The boost knob is useless ont his since the active electroncis were taking out and a dimarizio DP-super distoriton is in the bridge. It has the stock jackson single coils that i need to replace becuase they don't push the same way with out the active elctronics. It's a S/S/H. I dont know if all the singles sound this bad .. but if so they surely need to be replaces. I like everythng from modern rock (better than ezra, incubus) to jazz/fusion (tribal tech and mahavishnu) to metal (the dillinger escape plan and jason becker). I need a guitar with more versatile sounds. The dimarzio pick up is really great though .. a little bright but man this thing has tons of output.

Not to sure on the body .. check other reviews doe it.

Finish is typical solid color.

It's a neck thru super strat with the older t-6 trem i beleeieve. I have played better trems but this kick the shit out of the pants iabnez was using those lo pro 2 POS's. It's not a floating trem though so you can go like steve vai on the sucker but you have a decent ammount of movement.

the tuners are typical blakc metal locking tuners.

It came with a charvel non form fitting case, trem bar, and a strap.

My stlye is from jazz fusion to shred to rock to extreme metal.

The guitar is made for metal and thr shred. This make it great for almost anything feel because you have a full reach to the 24th fret ... its very thin with a low action and the neck is super fast.

The single coils are terrible though so im gonna throw in some seymour duncan hot rails i think like the reagular SL-1's have.

the dimarzio dp 100 super distortion in this is like 80's metal style. It's really good for what i play .. it has tons of output and realyl good for a crazy tapping sound.

It's all really good once you get the right pick ups in here for yourself.

these are 15 year old pickups ... most at this point loss up to have their intital intended sound through natural demagnatization.

i gave it a six ... once i get the hot rails on here it will be a 10.

The action was perfect to do some fast runs and swwp picking on the neck.

Pick up height was great.

for being 15 years old the finished is like a 9 which is really great for its age.

I doubt i would ever try .. but i dont think i could break this sucker. It's put togeather very well.

strap buttons are wide so they wont loss grip of the strap mid pelvic thrusting solo or anything.

i would gig with a back up just because of the floyd rose.

not sure yet ... hope i never have to find out.

Besides the pick ups this is an amazing guitar ... it better than any of ibanez, esp, les paul, etc. that i have played. Only better non hand made guitars i have played are the current Jackson USA soloist series.

e-mail me with any questions

mid '80 made, japanese neck-thru body, 24 frets, jumbo frets.
Stock jackson active pickups, replaced with EMG h/s/s pickups.
Emg 81 bridge, Emg S middle, Emg SA neck.
Now one volume, two tones.
Original shitty Jackson Floyd replaced with great Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge bridge, "packed" into guitar body.
Jackson tuners.
Now the best guitar ever seen!!

Metal, metal, metal.
Play thru Zoom 505 easy and nice effect and Mesa or Marshall amps.
Great tone and volume.

Bought it used, dunno how many people played it before me.
btw, I play with very low action.

Not any problem, even after a 3 hours destroying metal live set.

I've been playing for 9 years, own a Dean ML, a Charvel 375, a Epiphone Les Paul, but Charvel mod.6 is the best guitar I have ever played.
If it were stolen I think I would give up playing guitar.
If you aren't OK with stock Jackson trem replace it with Lo-Pro Edge.
Do it!

Charvel Model 6, serial #902833, 24 fret neckthru, locking nut and jackson JT-6 floyd trem.
Jackson active electronics, S/S/H, 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 active midrange boost. 3 individual toggle switches for pups.
Cream/white subtle sparkle finish.
Superstrat style, pointy headstock, streamlined strat body.

I play Vai, satriani, Gary moore, Megadeth and hendrix bluesy stuff. This suits pretty much everything. The single coils are COMPLETELY noiseless, but the Humbucker has a bit of background noise when near the amp (Laney LC-30 all valve) at high gain.
This guitar sustains!! more so than any floyd rose equipped ive ever played on, the sound is perfect for dave mustain AND steve Vai lead sound, its creamy but screaming. I love the clean single coils, especially with the mid boost, but i tend to roll back the tone a little with the humbucker on clean, its a bit bright.

Got it second hand, but the action is very nice. It seems quite high to look at, but notes just fly off the neck, it feels so good.
I raised the humbucker a little to get some more gain, and didn't hear any noticeable loss of sustain for magnetic interference.
The one thing i disagree with about this guitar is the trem. A jackson JT-6. It has about as much travel as a fender modern trem before it goes out of tune, and i have to make tuning adjustments every time i play.
Also the intonation/frets are very off for the 5th string. Power chords as low as the 5th fret have to have the 5th string bent sharp by 1/4 tone to compensate, and octave root5 shapes ring out against eachother horribly. I am having it taken to a luthier to have the trem swapped and get the intonation sorted. After that she will play like a beast!

Everything except the trem seems to be built as sturdy as a pack horse except the trem.
I still wont let my drummer near her though!
Strap buttons oversized-the strap's never going to fall off!
I would always gig it with backup incase i broke a string.

bought second hand, but found warranty claim form in case, so if you got it new, i think you would be taken care of.

Its all above. I rank it better than my PRS Santana SE, an Ibanez RG550, and a Gibson LP studio.

Model 6 Charvel built in 1986. I bought this axe brand new in 1987. Like the others... It's a rice burner but the best rice burner I have ever played. 24 Fret neck thru Fire Crackle paint job. To this day only one little nick. That says a lot for the quality paint job. Brand new it had Jackson active electronics S-S-H, 3 sep. toggles, & Floyd Rose Trem. Just replaced the bolts in the trem after finally being stripped out. That's after 16 years folks.... It now has an Ultrasonic active Humbucker on it but I am buying EMG's as we speek. Big ol fat neck with huge frets... All Jackson Hardware. Chainsaw case came with her and fits like a glove.

This is a Screaming Banshee of a guitar. Get you a good acoustic guitar if that is the sound you are interested in. If you want to thrash, scream, crunch, smash off Metallica riffs and Mustaine solo's this is the axe for ya. Stock it was a little noisy with the Jackson electronics on it... Can't wait to get the EMG's... I know, I am a little behind the times. But what I have now has always been fine. Good sustain due to the neck thru the body build. Neck is still straight as an arrow. I've never even had to ajdust the Truss Rod.

Action is great.... There was a little rattle in 1987 but after having a fret job done she moves as fast as you can move her with flawless intent. I now have a little noise in the Volume knob but with a little tuner spray should clear up easily. Guitar was set up perfectly from the factory. Everything was lined up well and screwed in tight.

What can I say? I am the original owner after 16+ years of banging on her and she still screams for more. This is one of the best guitars I have played. I compare to Les Pauls, PRS, and the like. She's never let me down....EVER. There have been many nights early on when she was the only bag I brought to play. HArdware is still shiny and tight. I have replaced the strap buttons with the locking straps. Overall, the paint job is still as shint and brilliant as the day I bought her. Fire crackle paint job is definitely dated mid 80's but still catches plenty of attention. I do play with an 1985 Model 3A with the double Humbucker set up too.

Never had to deal with them.....

Overall, I would never get rid of this axe. I don't know what I'd do if this one disappeared. I have not found another one in this good of shape. Like I said, I have a 3A also. More of a deeper tone. GReat sounding with a Kahler Trem. 22 fret bolt on neck. Had to get neck worked on and frets filed before I was happy with it. But now it is a perfect back up and I use her on all the clean settings.

i dont know when my '6 was made but she was born in jay-pan. Its got 24 frets s/s/h 3 togs, active, floyd, all jackson hardware.

this thing goes to 11. ah but you say , "what if they just labeled it 11 instead of 10, and in fact, is only as good as those labeled 10"
well to those naysayers I say " but this goes to 11" And i dont wanna hear any more from the deep and removed poet types about "descriminating ear"

what you dont know charvel? Ask anybody charvel is the best built jay-panese axe out there.

Flawless performance, outstanding reliability, top of the line build (you can drive railroad spikes with this thing), and damn cheap for what you get. If youve got a job to do, I humbly submit this be your weapon of choice.

jackson used to be awsome havnt dealt with fender

I have owned this screamin bone cruncher for 11 fun filled years. In the stable: 98 jackson sl 1, gibson les paul custom, sg, explorer (reissue '76), strat texas special, stienberger,Ibanez jem, and an old hammer v and some other acoustic crap. If you care about acoustic sound you dont want a model 6. If you want to blow away any of the current dirty sweatshirt,"kurt cobain was a musical genius", jeans hangin past yer cheeks crowd, the model 6 is for you. this thing has was gibson wants thousands for. And locking, active, and a superior paint job. the only guitar i have ever owned that comes anywhere near the above mentioned quality is my stienberger with active 81's front and rear. The other guitars are different they are all cool in their own unique ways and the paul is still one of my favorites. But the '6 is a sure thing. the others you have good and bad days with. My american hammer is a damn cool guitar also.

I wonder if the soloists are any good anymore since fender took over. Im seriously thinking of buying an sl 2. waddayathink?

I found my Model 6 at a pawn shop. I wasn't sure about what it actually was because some one had epoxyed the humbucker in and they made a gay looking pick guard for it. It had a Kahler stuffed in it and it really looked thrashed... Oh yeah it was red. Well, I took it to spme friends of mine here in San Diego, and they went to work on it. First the Kahler hole was blocked in and then routed for a Floyd. then a fret job. then off to get painted. I chose black and white Checkers for the top. (Rick Neilson, cheap trick thing). then I loaded it with active EMGs, mini shalers and BAM!!!! I tell ya it is sweet!!!!

Great on metal but has a sweet sound for jazz

Fits like a glove

I've had it finished for a year,,,,, maybe have 200 hours on it

Oh yeah, it came with a tweed case that's sweet. so, After all the work I put aboutb $900 into it. But it's cool!!!!

I bought it the last year they made the Model 6, '89 I think. Blue with the Jackson Floyd trem, active pickups, neck-through, the standard model 6 suite. As I recall, I paid $1200.

I've always loved this thing, you can get about any kind of sound out of it. Extremely versatile guitar. The active pickups have a mid-boost circuit, so you could get either a vintage fat/warm sound with the vol down slightly, and the mid-boost up - or crank the vol and chop the mid-boost and get a very nice bright tone. Very nice natural resonance with the neck-through design, and great sustain. Good stuff.

The guitar had no flaws in fit, finish, materials, etc. when new. Good quality stuff for the Japanese Jacksons, when they made the Charvels in Japan during this time(86-89), the build quality was basically as good as the hand built USA Jacksons, but for 1/2 the price.

The guitar has been a rock... Only normal wear and tear has required 2 refrets (first refret to 6105's, which only lasted 2 years, went back to 6100's, I'll never go small again) all on the original ebony fingerboard, which remains completely free of any warps or twists to this day. The string saddles wore out in the bridge over time as well, and Jackson quite making that bridge some time ago - making replacement impossible with original parts, so I keep recarving the saddle grooves as they get loose, but it's probably time to see if a Schaller trem will fit in the studs...

Note that this guitar has been played alot, considering it's on it's 3rd set of frets, and there is still no noticeable wear on the paint finish... Just amazing.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing for 16 years or so, and this guitar has survived 13 of 'em in excellent condition. The guitar is amazingly well built, and I will probably give it to my son for his first electric when he's ready for it. If lost or stolen, it would be irreplaceable, like losing a photo album with pictures you'll never see again.

I got a 1984 Charvel Model 6 USA prototype guitar and this thing kick ass. Has a neck thru body with 24 jumbo fret real nice feel. I belive it has a solid top. It have i 1 master volume and 2 tone controls and 3 mini switches for the boost controls real nice features. It now has emgs on sound great with them. I have clean white finish it in pretty good condition. I put on sperzel locking tuners because i hate locking nuts there a pain in the ass. I got to say the person that hates the kahler is problely can't play guitar if his life depended on or just some idiot who complains over everything. I most kahler is a much better tromolo then flody rose they a pain the ass i've had 4 orginal flody roses on my guitars over the years and they were pains in the ass. Kahler all the way. This guitar has everything you could ever want on a stock guitar. Active system works great and sounds great.

The sound this guitar is great clean when thats what you want no feedback and is the perfect guitar for Heavy Metal. You could really also play any kind of music on it like from country to blues sweet sound.

The action is like sex its perfect. The kahler is a great tromolo once you understand how it works. The paint is nice because its 18 years old and still look pretty good.

No problem ever.

Charvel Jackson is great they are the ones that told me i had the model 6 prototype guitar.

I own right now a Gibson custom les paul a american 68 strat a PRS and about 10 other guitars and this is my favorite guitar its really a peice of work. I would recomend anyone to purchase this guitar if they could.*****five stars

ive got a '86 model 6 charvel and it rocks ass. it has kahler pro tremolo, and if anyone says kahler blows ill kick thier ass. it had all dimarzio pickups, s-s-h. apple red. its nech-thru rosewood finger board poplar body sharkfin inlays. i love kahler

sounds incredible, real good harmonics good feel to play around with. sorta heavy on the head so it has good sustain

the guitar has gone through hell with me, i play metal furious metal. ive played fenders so fast that theve gone outta tune, this guitar isnt a tank but it isnt afraid to tell the tank to stick it up its ass. balls. besy deal i ever got on a guitar. everything is really u.s.a. standards but it was made in japan. oh well still kicks a lot of stuff's ass.

once i spilled a drop of jack and coke on a peavey raptor at a freinds house, it almost stripped the paint. my cousin spiller jager-meister on mr charvel and guess what, its still fine. this guitar has put up with a lot of my shit and i have come to respect it as its own force in the universe

ive never had to put up with any bull-shit. it just never needed anything

ive been playing for some time now ive got an army of 7 guitars ranging from u.s.a. jacksons to u.s.a. peaveys and i love this guitar

This fine axe was made in Japan in 1986-87. 24 frets, MOP sharkfin inlays, 3 mini-pup switches, and 3 knobs(volume, tone, and distortion i think). H/S/S active jackson pups, poplar body not sure bout neck, in a wierd off-white-sprakle finish. Soloist style body, with a kahler tremolo bridge(sucks), locking jackson tuners. bought used so no hardware.

I play metal and it suits my style fine, but when i run it clean and switch in the mid or neck pup, it can do anything, blues, jazz, you name it. the bridge humbucker is the noisiest pup, but it rocks! lottsa distortion and great pinch harmonics on every fret(almost). im quite satisified with the original pups, they really can do anything.

The features are as follows, Two J-200 Dual Coil Bi-Level Humbucking pickups and one J-50BC Humbucking pickup ( mine upgraded to EMG 80's and 81's ), Kahler standard single locking tremolo ( mine upgraded to original floyd rose ), one volume and one tone control, Jackson active low impedanc electronics w/6db boost (at 650 HZ) control knob, three 2-way mini toggle switches, beautiful pearl inlayed rosewook fingerboard/neck-thru-body contruction, and a solid poplar body. Mine in red.

It is perfect for the music I play, The original pick-ups were nice but I upgraded to the EMG's for a wide range of styles, I play 80's rock and metal ( Ozzy, Quiet Riot, Van Halen, etc. ) to Blink and Goo Goo Dolls this. I run this through an Ibanez Smashbox and a Marshall Valvestate ATV 150. I love this guitar, I dont think there is a more reliable guitar!

The set up was great rite from the store, I changed the tremolo and the pickups so it took some setting up after that but other than the upgrades perfect, nice low action, no buzzing. No flaws whatsoever, everything was perfect. No complaints here!

This guitar has takin a beating for years, and is still in great condition, the hardwear is great, Jackson sealed tuners. The strap-buttons were just replaced to Jim Dunlop Strap-Loks. The original strap buttons held up well, but I like to put on a show for the audiance so I put the strap-loks on for extra security. I can definatly depend on this guitar, but no matter how great the guitar, unless it can restring it self, I always have a back up.

I have never dealt with Jackson/Charvel.

I have been playing for 15 years, and I stated the some of the gear I own above, I am about to buy a Cyber Twin, I have a Gibson Les Paul Standard, a Fender American Series Strat, and a Jackson Rhoads.
Of all of those guitars this is definatly the most dependable!

Bought from A&E Guitars in Virginia Beach. (They are sorry bastards)
Paid $995.00 for this '86 Model 6, Black Cherry, Rosewood fretboard w/sharkfin inlays, black headstock. Ash body? Neck thru body, H-S-S active Jackson/Charvel PUPs, Kahler pro vibrato (double locking), All black hardware, Volume/Mid-boost/tone knobs.Three on off switches (one for each pickup). Came with tweed case.
Guy at the shop wouldn't give me a truss rod adjustment wrench, said, "I'd mess it up, only he was good enough to do it!!!"
(should have laughed in his face and left)
Had to drive back (250 miles) to get him to adjust it two weeks later because it was too low. (buzzing was getting on my nerves)
Afterwards it did fine. (I hope they are closed by now)

Was great for the 80's metal sound. Noiseless operation.
Plenty of variety.
Used a Polytone Fusion then later a Mesa/Boogie Mark III Simul/Class.
Did good for 7 years. Then got worn to where I didn't like it anymore.

Action was good for 7 years, then went down after that. Not Good!
Finish was good workmanship was fair, but the hole where the jack is broke after several years. Fixed myself.

Good guitar when new. Strap buttons reamed out over time.
Used without backup for several years but in the last 2 years there were problems. Also the Kahler went out and never came back, (not Charvel's fault) By this time Kahler was outta bizzness! (wonder why? hummm...)

N/A
I fix my own stuff mostly.

Played for 23 years
Bunch of guitars
Gibson Les Paul is my main axe now.
Have a '93 Jackson Soloist USA too, (better guitar)
Loved it for a few years but as you get better you'll find there are better guitars out there for $1000 bucks. (Horror Story Time)
A&E Music sold a Ross 4 track recorder to me on the same day.
Within 5 days, the transport system LOCKED UP! I took it back and they told me they'd have it fixed. I said, "Give me that new one you have in place of it." He said, "We can't do that." I insisted. They said, "It wasn't their policy to do buisness that way". I said, "Then give me my money back"! That is not posible, I was told. So, after two months, I got it back from the repair shop. Two hours into recording, it locked up again. Took it back, (remember, this place is 250 miles from where I live!) and was told again, "We'll have it fixed". I was hot by this time. So thinking I'd give them one more chance, (since it wasn't their fault it broke) I took it to the repair center again. 4 Weeks later, got it back, and yes, It Locked Up Again!! I called them and asked for my money back. "I'm sorry, but that is not our policy". I said, "I'll call the Better Buisness Beuru!" (bad spelling huh?) They said, "I'm sorry you feel that way, sir". Well, I called Ross. (an English company) English guy answered the phone. I told him what was going on and he offered to have the unit fixed again. I told him that at this rate I would have the unit in the repair shop 10 months out of the year and I wanted my money back. He said, "We don't do buisness that way." I told him that, "You won't have any buisness at all if you do buisness like this!"
Do you see much Ross stuff around any more? I think they went under.
Sold the unit as soon as I got it back from the repair shop the last time, before it locked up on me again! Good Riddance!!

Only paid $250 (used) for this 1987 neck-thru beauty. The axe came loaded with a H-S-S active pick-ups with independant toggles for each pick-up. All active circuitry with mid-boost for extra balls and a Kahler single locking bridge (the Kahler pulls off of a steel block instead of the insturments woods). I am not sure what the wood construction of this axe is and I would assume that it was made in Japan since that seems to be the general norm for this guitar. Came with the original case too.

At the time that I bought the axe I was looking for metal type guitar, whcih this guitar suits very well. Now, three years later, my musical tastes have expanded and I have realized that there isn't anything that this guitar can't handle. Everything from shred to country and blues. The pickups are clean and bright and can be given a little extra bite due to the mid-boost. This guitar can scream and sing, bark and cry in one melodic line. Its tonal variations seem limitless. After three years of ownership I am able to realize what this thing is really capable of.
If I had to pick a down side, I'd say that for a novice, it could be quite tricky to figure out how to get the most out of the tone, but that is only due to its tonal variety.

I do not know how it was set up at the factory, I bought it thirteen years used. I can only speculate that it was set up fast and smooth like it is today. The pick-ups are excellent, always clear and ready to go. The body has exceptionally sleek lines and fits like a little piece of heaven in my lap. Leo Fender could have only dreamed of such a fit. The finish is a dark metal flake type reddish purple that almost looks black in low light. The pots need occasional cleaning, but so does every guitar if you want it to perform.

This guitar can and has withstood live playing. The guy I bought it off of used it at least weekly for ten years gigging. Since I've owned it, it hasn't seen much of this type of action, but it is built with tough durable metal components that seem to be made to last. The finish still shows no sign of wear, doubt that it ever will. Strap buttons are good and tight, It is ready to rock every time it is plugged and it seems like it could tour the world.
I wouldn't gig without a back up ever. What do you do when you bust a string, call for a comericial break. However, if I had only one to choose from it would be this one.

Never needed it.

I have been playing for five years and I also own a Cordoba Gypsy King Classical guitar, Dean Performer E Accoustic, and a Line 6 Flextone 60 watts amp. If this axe was lost I would go looking for blood, or another used one, which ever I found first. There is so much to love about this guitar, I wouldn't know where to start. I hate the fact that this guitar is hard to find, I have been looking for a second one. It compares well to a Jackson Soloist, but I would say that fit and feel it crushes the soloist and just feels so much more powerful in my hands. I won't even dishonor it by comparing it to a stratocaster or anything like that. I wish it had a twin brother at my house. Did i say that it has a chip taken out of the headstock, some may say that it is a flaw, but I say it adds character.

Mid 80's japanese manufactured,24 frets sharks fin pearl inlay,neck through body design..really easy acess to the top fret.The finish on my model 6 i s sort of creamy white,though ive seen pictures of new model 6 in pearl white,which i think is too enemic..maybe the paint on mine is going through its ageing process, cool.
jackson floating bridge with locking nut,like any floyd rose type bridge it works when it work it doesnt when it goes out of tune..changing strings is just a minor hassle one im willing to put up with,try those outragoues dive bombs or raise the pitch on a strat and see how long that piece of plank stay in tune..maybe your strat is better than mine,but this model 6 is defineately better than your piece of drift wood..hehehe.
i still have the original case, sturdly built nice and plush inside.

1hb(bridge),2sc(jacksons),active circuit with mid booster,lots of sound available..will never sound like a gibbo cause its not..will never sound like a strat cause its not..be it will try its best to emulate those sounds..all i can say is its very versatile and sounds very good to me.

fast,slick,smooth..gorgoues neck .the finish on this guitar is of high quality..7 years ago i had model 850 like this one cept with twin humbucker and a gorgoues flame or curly maple top(cant remember)in cherry sunburst..been thinking about her ever since, im still looking for her,i want her back :(

this guitar is in early teens..and looking tough, cant wait fot it get older and become the pimp daddy of my colletion

no need..its only a guitar..man,not some high tech equipment.

been playing for 15 years..have Les Paul,Strat,Levinson Blade,Hamer,had PRS,i sold that bitch bought this model 6 and still have afew hundred pounds left over...so im looking for Charvel Model 850 as described above..My advice to you ppl is dont get 1..cause im finding it hard trying to find my fave guitar of all time :)

I bought this bright red Japanese made Charvel Model 6 fresh from the store in 1986. The stock Kahler trem has held up to this day. The other features I believe are fairly standard for this model, original Jackson pickups (active) s/s/h, 24 frets, 3 separate pickup selectors... why don't more guitars have that? The neck-thru design was solid.

I used this guitar for all styles of music, pop/blues/funk/rock/hard rock. I still play it primarily through a Mesa/Boogie Mark III that I bought not long after buying the guitar. I used the mid range boost about half-way to 3/4. I love the different tones available with the separate pickup selectors. For seering solos, I just use the Jackson humbucker. I've had some quality guitars over the years(Gibson LP Customs, older Kramers, hand made Schon by Jackson himself), but none as versitile in sound as this Model 6!
I used this guitar for most of my guitar parts on two albums I played on, released internationally, recorded between 1986 and 1990.

I would always lower the action as much as I could get by with. It was a great playing guitar, but still slightly paled in comparison to my Les Paul Customs. It had a unique feel to it, quite comfortable and easy to work with. I'd have to say that the guitar was set up to its top quality right from the get go!
There were no noticeable flaws in this guitar. The pots got noisy after awhile, so there was some maintenance needed there. There has been some aging in the nut locking system (screws are stripping), and I don't know if the locking screws are still available, since Kahler is out of business from what I understand. But I imagine i could find some kind of screw that would work in their place w/o a problem.

It's been my workhorse guitar for 15 years. It always kept its tune even better than my guitars w/o trem systems. I've taken this guitar with me on the road, overseas, and in the studio. It's seen some large audiences in its day, and has come through with flying colors. It's proven its value time and time again! Very dependable, very reliable! I normally played gigs with 2 guitars in case of breaking strings.. break a string on this, and it's out of tune immediately. I would keep one of my other guitars as a backup, usually my Les Paul Custom.

Never needed support for it.

I've been playing over 25 years. Like I said, this guitar has been a workhorse for me more than any other. I would still pick my Les Paul Customs (I've had 2 over the years) over this guitar, but not by much. If it was stolen, would I probably try something else, but I would miss the pickup selectors on this baby, because I hate the strat-like slide selectors. I had always debated about picking up a Jackson Soloist, but from these reviews, they don't seem worth the extra money.

Made in the mid eighties, I bought this second hand for #300 in the UK. It has 24 wide frets and is a solid with through the body neck. To say the neck is sleek would be an understatement. Three on off switches provide pickup selection and are two single coil and one humbucker. I wonder if the single coils are actually stacking humbuckers as there is no noise from them and sound like humbuckers to me. Active electronics power the pickups with a real gutsy boost to the mids. Mine is finished in gloss black and the body to neck transformation is gorgeous. The trem / bridge system (Floyd Rose) takes a hell of setting up each string change which tends to put me off using it (causes me to put off needed string changes), and if just one string goes the whole thing is unusable. This is very rare however and will only happen if the strings are truly knackered.

The active circuitry eats batteries so I fitted a 9v power supply socket. Not good for live use but I only use this guitar for recording.

The neck is quite simply the best I have and the best I haveever played. It is slim, flat and quite wide and for my larger hands is extremely fast (faster than I can play!). As soon as I pick it up and play I realize just how sleek and inviting the guitar is.

When I want to play gutsy hard rock I use this guitar. Through the Pod, it sounds the business and is ideal for recording. It's a guitar that like everything full on. The only settings I adjust is the occasional relaxing of the active circuitry.

Quite recently I compared this guitar to the sound of a Les Paul Standard and that made me realize there is something lacking a bit. The LP had a real hard but full sound whereas the Model 6 lacked a bit of richness.

Action and finish is just about perfect. Very low with no buzzing. The neck is dead straight and the hard (could be ebony) finish accentuates the feeling of speed.

It would have, but not now due to power supply for active electronics. It could be converted back again. The input jack fell to pieces and I replaced this recently. I have never cleaned the circuitry and there are no crackles. The active circuitry stopped working a while ago and I had to replace the op amp chip, but off it went again without any problems.

Not needed. Why would you need this for a perfectly working guitar?

This guitar takes pride and place amongst two custom made Strats (very nice), A Vesta Tele (with Seymours), a Yamaha SG3000S and a Fleetwood bass guitar (Tanglewood I think). It has survived 15 years with me and is one of the guitars I would never part with.

My axe was made around '86 in Japan... 24 frets with mother-of-pearl sharkfin inlays. I believe it comes from the factory with a volume, tone, and "decibel" control (whatever that is), and 3 on-off switches for the S/S/H pickup configuration. By the time I got it the "decibel" knob had been ripped out and replaced with a 3-way switch for the neck single-coil and the bridge humbucker. The on-off switches are now empty holes, and the tone pot has been replaced with a seperate volume control for the neck pickup. Also it has a neon-green Steve Vai style safety strap, which I kinda like.

The pickups themselvcs are one generic single coil and a Seymour-Duncan Distortion humbucker.

The electronics are passive, which is fine with me. I'm not sure but I think it may have come from the factory with active pickups.

I know nothing of the body or neck woods.

The body style is the most beautiful I have ever seen... basically a strat style, without the pickguard and seems more "streamlined" to me. I wish every woman were this shapely.

The finish is black, a deep shiny glossy type black. The only thing I don't like about my guitar is that damned Floyd Rose tremolo system. It is more trouble to me than it's worth.

The tuners are pretty much factory... they head tuners are pretty fine... no drastic or sudden change while tuning up... the fine tuners on the bridge only make a half-step difference between wide open and fully screwed... pretty pointless to me.

The neck-thru design really spoils me since this is my first and only guitar I've actually owned for myself.

Brand new it would deserve a 10.

I used to play alot of thrash/metal but since I started I've diversified alot. My guitar is great for metal. The action is great for fast playing and the pickups positively scream at you... rich harmonics... the generic single-coil is extremely low-gain so that pretty much kills it for mellow stuff... it's not bad for twangy stuff but my clean sounds are wide open.

I play through a Yamaha 50W amp with one 12". It's a cheesy little amp but it's loud and clear... just not big on dynamics. I find it to be noisy when the humbucker is switched on, and even worse since I play through a Zoom 3030... but it has complemented every effect I have played it through on various modules and does well with stomp boxes. I would say the sound is rich, full, and bright.

I never saw my guitar from the factory but being that it's a Charvel I'm sure everything was great. The bridge was routed properly... and the wood was good quality. I can tell because it is very solid and has little wear and tear... previous owner gigged with it CONSTANTLY as it is now... and I've been hard on it for the past 6 years

This guitar has withstood quite a bit of live playing. The hardware will last, the finish will last, the strap buttons won't pop out, I can depend on it. I would definitely use a backup for gigs because if a string pops with that stupid Floyd Rose it takes too long to change it.

No clue

I've been for 6 years now. Used to be obsessive and now i am frequent. Used to own an acoustic but it's been in hock for years now. But I've been through thick and thin with this guitar. Wherever I've gone I've taken it with me... it's almost a part of me and I wouldn't trade it for any guitar in the world... although I wish it had a fixed bridge. I have never played a guitar I prefer over this one.

Made in Japan in the late 80s or the early 90s... 24 jumbo frets, neck-through-body-construction, rosewood fretboard w/ sharkfin inlay (mother of pearl), heel-less joint, super-strat-body, two tone and one volume pot (the volume pot dropped off due to excessive amount of playing time). Kahler licensed Floyd Rose system (double locking). A 5-way pickup selector switch (the others seemed to have on-off switches for the pickups). The pickups are Jackson active pickups (with the middle-boost-circuit, which is really great!!!) and on top of all this the typical Jackson angled headstock. The finish is something between pearl white and cream white, and the freatboard & headstock are equipped with a nifty cream white binding. Nice. All the hardware is pitch black. I got it for 3500 FIM (about 500-600 USD) and it came with a nice Charvel case (which I already decorated with some radio station stickers and STONE and CURE logos. I also got a nifty allen wrench (I think it fits all the [what's that word]) and a wrench for the neck iron (or whatever's the word in english)...

I play mostly heavy metal music (Finnish bands, like Stone and Children of Bodom) and some pop music, eg. the Cure, the Sisters of Mercy and other goth bands. This guitar fits it all - the neck pickup delivers the goods when playing metal and rock, and the other pickups deal very good sounds for blues, pop and country. I use this heavenly piece of musical instrument pride through a Zoom 505 FX-pedal and a Rocktron R50C - amp. The guitar delivers some hum - maybe I should buy a noise gate... However, by touching the hardware there's no hum at all. Otherwise, the volume should be turned down while not playing. The sound is rich and full in every aspect - this is the guitar and the sound that I've always dreamt of. The trem system is also very good to color up the playing style - with all those versatile dive effects and that screaming distortion sound you get by yanking the bar up and releasing it. The trem system is, however, pretty aged already, so it keeps some noise while in use (should I lube it or install a new one, I don't know...). There's nothing I dislike about the sound, but because of the not-perfect-trem-effects, I'll give it "only" a 9.

I bought it used from a music store, and I think it's been through a lot of use during the years (it might be built in the late 80s, after all). It's in the usual 440Hz tune, but the string set is .11 so some bends are quite hard... The string action is great, the pickups are excellently adjusted. The bridge is perfect except for some things I already mentioned in the sound section. No flaws, the fine tuning could be done better, maybe I should just get it repaired. The tuning pegs and the locknut work ex-cel-lent-ly, but the volume pot dropped off, so it's should be taken to repairs.

Haven't gigged with it yet, but it's very good in withstanding rehearsing, and some acts of violence, so I think it's pretty reliable. If (=when) the strings break, the replacing ain't fast at all, so it should be back-upped in concerts with another guitar (possibly another Model 6..!!). The finish is ultra thick, it won't scrape off. The hardware is also in good condition, and the strap buttons are excellent (however, if playing live, I think everyone should buy the little locks into the strap buttons to prevent the strap from slipping out of them, causing the guitar to drop). I depend on my guitar, I trust it with my life. It's my best friend and lover and wife and daughter...

Haven't dealt with the Charvel guys (since I believe Charvel has quit making these goddamn excellent guitars). Jackson's (I believe they've got pretty much something to do with Charvel, as Wayne Charvel practically found Jackson Guitars with Grover Jackson) customer support here in Finland is at Musamaailma Oy, and they are really professional guys, retaining their ominous taste of humour. Good service, always cutting deals and funny as hell.

Read all the above. This is the best guitar known to mankind! Anyone trying to steal it signs his or her own death penalty. Better than any guitar I've ever ever played, and I've played many guitars... Couldn't be better, even the case is damn good. I'd want to sleep with my guitar.

Year made mid 80's, Made in Japan, 24 frets peal shark tooth inlays, s/s/h pickup configuration they are jackson active pickups totally smoke! Neck thru with double locking licensed floyd rose by Jackson, the neck is wide and smooth and fast as hell!!! it is not thin like most jackson's but it smokes, best neck I have ever played. I have the original charvel chain saw case which has excellent latches and great weight dispursment for carrying it. If you can get one of these cases do it.

This guitar is wonderful. Any sound you want this will do it. Just running it straight through my Fender M80 amp with the amps distortion this guitar blew away a jackson kelly that was running through a marshall and an effects processor. MMMMMMMM GOOD!!!

Since this guitar is almost twenty years old I don't know how it was setup from the factory but the music store I bought it from apparently didn't know how to setup guitars. I took it and had it setup and it almost plays itself, low smooth action. The body paint and neck are equal to if not better than any american made guitar out there. If you love to play you have to find one of these guitars u will not be disappointed.

This guitar will withstand anything, these guitars are already closing in on being 20 years old and it rocks like a rightous beast, this guitar is built solid you can tell as soon as you pick it up.

Never dealt with them

I have been playing for almost two years. I have an american made hamer guitar and this guitar is every bit as well made. The neck is better than the hamer's it is wider and much easier to play. I have owned a jackson Kelly, a jackson pro 2, The model 6 kicks their asses sideways. I have played gibson's and I like this guitar better. If it were lost or stolen, someone would die!! There is nothing about this guitar I don't like. The best features are the neck and the pickups. This guitar is a must buy if you find one.

This is a mid-80's japanese superstrat (humbucker, stacked single, stacked single) with active electronics, three individual pickup selectors (HUGE range of tones!) and a 24 fret thru-neck with a heel-less joint. Floyd Rose (Licenced) locking trem and a tough, tough finish complete the picture.

I've been playing metal for 10 years, this suits the style very well. I've started to look at other styles recently, and the active mid-boost with the single coils give a great range of strat tones, with the added mid-range that the strat has always lacked. The electronics are virtually noise-free (I play with a Marshall JCM800 100W head + 2x12, usually at full gain), although I have a Boss noise gate to keep things under control!

I bought used, and the action was superb, better than my Gibsons. All aspects of the set-up were good, even to screwing the middle coil flat to the body for a volume reduction. Sweet! However, as the guitar had seem a lot of action, there were (and stil are) a lot of body scratching (belt-buckles!) and a few dings at the end of the pointy head! However, I bought the guitar (and my other Charvels) for their sound and build quality, not for the cosmetics.

I've used this, and my other Charvels regularly, and have experienced no problems, other than the battery going flat (always at the worst time!) and the TREM ARM! Teh 'push-fit' unit on mine (don't ask me for a model number) works loose easilt, and, at its worst, can have up to 4mm of play. Not good. I've considered replacing it with a Floyd Original, but I usually repair it with PTFE tape, which holds for 2-3 months.

Never had to deal with them.

This is probably my second favourity machine, after my old Charvel 750 XL, which is as good, but looks better. The Jap Charvel facility had an absolute strangle-hold on the market in my opinion, the quality was superb (better than my '99 Gibson Les Paul Standard by a LONG WAY, although that wins on tone alone). It's a shame that Grover Jackson chose to de-value the Charvel brand (in my opinion) by using the once-proud name on nasty korean/taiwanese imports. Yuk. Good luck to Wayne Charvel with his new 'Wayne' Gyitars. If I lost it, I'd throw myself off a bridge. If it was stolen, I'd find the guy and pull him off the bridge with me!!

This incredible guitar has a neck-thru body construction, 24 frets with great sharkfin inlays, one humbucker and 2 single coil pickups. For every pickup there is a switch so you can turn either one off or on. Mine is black witch gives it a very aggressive and metal-like look. Normally it has a jackson floyd rose tremolo but I replaced it by a black tunomatic bridge (quite a bit of work but the guitartech did an excellent job, it even sounds warmer and has more sustain!) I put a EMG 81 as bridgepickup and an EMG Select as neck pickup, the middle pickup is the original Jackson pickup.

This is absolutely the best guitar in the world!!! NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!! I played lots of guitars from Ibanez to Gibson to ESP custom to the new Jackson range but none of these comes close to my Charvel 6. First of all the neck is unbelievable, the body sounds great, fingerboard is excellent (even after that many years!). I think this guitar was actually made for me, unbelievable!!! I run my guitar through my Samson wireless Concert IV - Alesis 3630 Compressor/Limiter - Hughes & Kettner Access preamp ( parallel loop: Alesis Midiverb4, serial loop: Korg DTR2 digital tuner) - Hughes & Kettner VS 250 power-amp. No matter what configuration I put my Charvel 6 through, it keeps pounding the hell out of me!!! As I play melodic death metal it's the ideal guitarsound for me!!!

I bought mine second hand and it was in fairly good condition. I wasn't really happy with the original humbucker, but an Emg 81 always does the job! This guitar was used on a daily basis before I bought it but even now the neck/fingerboard/body is perfect. Since I play in different bands playing differently tuned I needed a fixed bridge, I didn't replace the original because It wasn't good, just because I wanted to get rid of it.

As I said before this guitar will go on for ages I think, very rugid, very finely build (not like the Jackson guitars which are being build nowadays!). I've been playing it daily for about 3 years now and it's the only guitar I have kept!!! It has never let me down in a live gig situation so , all the marks! Now I use it without a backup, until I can find me another one, because they are very hard to find!

Never dealt with the company, found a good guitartechnician who builds his own guitars, so ... I doubt it if Jackson guitars would have done a better job in changing the bridge, not even talking about the costs (US prices suck!!!!!!!!)

I've been playing for about 10 years now and I have never found a better guitar. I am very found of the Jackson/Charvel looks, but the new Jackson guitars aren't price-worthy I think (certainly not when living in Europe!!!). If it was stolen I'd would hunt the thieve down and hang him!!!

Made in Japan w/American parts.Neck through,24 fret,shark"tooth" as Charvel called them in the "80's" inlays.Two single pickups,one humbucker,a Jackson JT580 Floyd Rose double locking tremelo.Three toggle pickup switches,all black chrome hardware.

The sound of the model 6 is unique,all its own.I have owned Gibson "V's" and Explorers,played with people who had Strats(yuuuck),Ibanez,Yamaha,but the sounds were never like the Charvel 6.Where are these type guitars being made today?? Everything is bolt on junk,no real quality!I heard Charvel is now producing some of the models he made in the past,he should truly consider re-producing the Model 6,but then again its great to seek them out and collect them so I retract that last statement!Its a pure Heavy Metal Animal that will literally blow away any guitar put up against it!! No contest! I tune down to "D",and I've tried 'em all at music stores all over,and it just leaves 'em all in the dust!!

I bought my first "Cobalt Blue" one new off the racks in 87 for $850.00. Lowered the string action with the first string change and it hasn't stop smoking since!Finish was and is the best I've seen on a mass produced guitar,bout the only way to top is maybe a custom car paint job prepared by some truly anal retentive car nut,that took about two years just to finish the paint work. I love Vinnie Vicent's tremelo style of playing so I emulate that very much in my playing,so the JT580 bar is tortured with extreme prejudice every time a play it and other than breaking the original chrome bar off in the trem body and having to replace the arm with a Schaller style it has never failed me. My second Model 6 "Ferrari Red" was bought off the internet about a month ago for $750.00. A ding on the headstock a a few very small ones on the body are all the evidence this guitar was ever played other than that it is great! It was shipped with the third trem spring removed which makes the trem float softer,for those truly "80's" style "RATT" "Vinnie Vincent","Randy Rhoads" flutters! Never figured this one out on my own,so I set up My "Cobalt Blue" the same way,and I'm playing better than ever! That alone was worth the price of the guitar! Thanx Heaven Guitars,RI !! Take note Model 6 owners,if you haven't already figured this one out. If you tune down to "D" like I do you have to play with the screw hold downs in the rear of the body,but once you find the sweet spot look out its 1980 again!

Would take them anywhere and only worry about a string breaking other than that they are rock solid reliable!! Having two makes for a perfect back-up. I bought a Jackson DK2 this past summer new off the rack a week later I found myself replacing the volume pot after static started to become increasingly annoying with each use and finally failing completly,never had nar a problem with My Model 6's,it's like the "Corvette"(own one too!cool!)one of those rare mold breaking,sporting looking,hot rodding,rare diamonds that will never be made again!

Never dealt with them because the Model 6 was built just to good!! Other than parts finally wearing out on the guitar,have no complaints to the company only praises!

Been playing guitars since 1979,and I can say you can't beat a Model 6 in features for the price,ecspecially you people out there who got them at those outrageouslly low prices on used ones!(kudos!)

Letz see neck thru body heeless construction, Jackson Flyod, Jackson active pick-ups, mother of pearl shark fin inlays. This guitar was made when Jackson used the best woods. It is probably the equavelent of a SL-1 today.

The 80's are back!!!!!! This guitar is made for Metal. It's the heavest guitar I've ever heard. Kills Ibanez. It's not nosiy at all. I run it thru a roland gp-100 guitar processor and a Fender Stage 160. It gives me the tone I'm looking for. Fat and Crunchy. I was thinking about changing the pick ups to EMG's when I first got it, since it's already got a active circuit. But the pick ups surprised me. Unlike the Cheap Ass Jackson pick up they have today these ones were GOOD! I can get a perfect Cowboys from Hell tone outa this thing.

Action was in mid air when I got it, but with a little bit of muscle it was flat on the ground. The finish is in superb condition, and the floyd on this thing rocks! Unlike the shity ass Ibanez Floyds these ones STAY IN TUNE. In my opinion these are the best Floyds next the Originals. I giving it a 8 because of the poor set up.

This guitar was made in 87. And is in suberb condition for itz age (Hell! itz in superb condition period!.) This thing really last. I've gigged with it for over 6 years.

Excelent company. I called to ask them a few question and they mailed me a free T-Shirt. You rule JACKSON!

I've been playing for 16 years, and I think I know quality when I see it. I also own a Jackson DK-1, Les Paul Custom, PRS Custom 24, and 3 Ibanez's, RG 570, S540, and a RG Prestige. If it were stolen I would hunt the mother fucker down and shove a pole up his ass. (Sorry a little carryed away there). The bottom line is buy Jackson guitars instead of Ibanes. Why? Here's a comparison test:
Jackson (USA Modles) Ibanez
Hand made in the USA Made buy million $ machines in Japan
Neck Thru Body heeless Bolt on's construction Seymor Duncan pick ups cheap Ibanez pick ups (Diamrzios on the expansive modles)
Real Floyd Rose that are Cheap Ibanez Floyds that go made in Germany outa tunes easly (the ones that never go outa tune, and don't break your strings)
mother of pearl shark fin Plastic inlays (even on inlays and binding their top of the line modles suck as the Floral Pattern Jem.
So get the point? Jackson guitar are better made and they use top of the line every thing. The only reason Ibanez over sells Jackson is because they have Famous Endorsers. Such as vai, Satch, Munky & Head, Wes Borland, Dino and etc that large Japanese Corperations pay for. So I hope every body learned something today.
Latz

Let's see---neck-thru construction, Jackson active circuitry, Jackson Floyd Rose, rosewood fretboard w/ shark inlays, furnished in a dark plum finish---this is what I had many years ago (only it was in Ferrari Red!!)--made in '87-'88

ahhhh, just like I expected--nice and fat!! This thing sounds absolutely heavenly thru my Mesa/Boogie DC-5 half-stack!! I play in a heavy alternative band that demands crushing tone night after night--in fact, I use this thing as my main guitar throughout our set, with the exception of my Jackson Soloist, which became my "drop D" guitar. Love the funky single coil sounds --it rivals my Fender Deluxe Strat Plus in this department

guitar was set-up just perfectly--just a few dents and wear on finish and hardware, other than that, no complaints!!

Well, being that this thing has a Floyd, I always have a back-up!! other than that, it's pretty reliable and consistant. I had to change the battery for the active electronics.

never dealt w/ Jackson/Charvel--if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!!

played for over 20+ years--have had Gibsons, Ibanezes, Jacksons,Charvels,Hamer, Yamaha--When I went to the L.A. Guitar Show, I was gonna buy an Ibanez Destroyer 'til I spotted this model 6 at another booth--needless to say, I'm absolutely thrilled to have this axe back in my arsenal!!! I plan on collecting more Charvel Model 6/5 and Jackson Soloists in the near future

U.S. Made in 1988. 24 frets,shark-tooth inlay, rosewood fretboard. neck-through body construction. 1 humbucker and two single coils. Non-recessed floyd rose bridge. Maple neck, poplar body, passive pickups with a Jackson JE 1200 active mid-boost circuit. 1 volume, 1 tone, and 1 mid-boost knob, 3 toggle switches.

I play metal. This thing suits the bill very nicely. It has a thicker neck than the newer Jacksons, I like that feature a lot. The neck-through body construction is comfy and gives more sustain. It has a very good sound, kinda bright, which is good because I'm running it through a Mesa/Boogie Single Rectifier, which is kinda dark sounding. It's not noisy either. The only thing I don't like is that the pickups are a little larger than most pickups, so it'd be a bitch to replace them if they went out on me.

It's 11 years old, but in great condition. One minor ding on the headstock. But everything is tight on it.

NEVER gig without a backup. Everything is solid otherwise.

When I got it I had to restore the active circuit. The dude who had is before striped it out and made it run totally passive. Jackson was very happy to send me a new one, fortuntly they still use that circuit in some of their newer guitars, so it was easy to get, for a price.

Been playing for about 6 years. This is one of the best sounding guitars I've heard. Also one of the most comfortable to play.

This guitar has many cool features. It was made in the mid to late 80's. It has 24 frets on a bound rosewood finger board with sharkfin inlays. The neck is a maple neck-thru which I love. It also has active electronics with a knob for the mid boost which I think is one of its greatest features, the other knobs include bass and volume. Mine also came stock with a kahler tremolo where others come with a jackson floyd.Hum/stacked-single/stacked-single

This thing is fricken amazing. With the mid boost all the way up with some distortion you get a really saturated sound that isn't muddy at all(open chords ring out very nice). It has a very good clean(especially with the mid boost all the way down) sound to. I was very amazed with the clean sounds this guitar produced. Charvels are known for being shredding guitars but this model has a great clean sound. You can really get a good blues or jazz sound out of the single coils. I couldnt ask for anything more excpt a new amp to replace the shitbox I got.

I couldnt be happier with the way this thing plays. Action is very low and easy to play. I bought it used so the neck needed to be ajusted a little.

This guitar is rock solid. They only problem Ive had is with the truss rod which is understandable since its used and the neck is so thin.

Never had to deal with them

Ive been playing for about six years now. I own alot of other guitars like an american standard strat, gibson the hawk that i won and a bunch of project that I have to put together. If this guitar was lost or stolen then I would definitly replace it(hell Id buy as many as I could get for 250) These guitars are incredubly versitile. They are about the same thing as a jackson soloist except this is definitly a better deal because jacksons go for 750 and up used and the model six is probably better because you can get just about any pickup configeration you want with the three many toggle. So if you been looking at one of these or what a great sounding feeling or looking guitar than go get one of these

Made in Japan in 1989. Bought new at the Drum Keyboard Guitar Shop in Houston in 89. 24 Fret 25 1/2" scale rosewood fingerboard. Maple neck through body with poplar body sides. FIRECRACKLE finish. Cream binding on neck and headstock, and pearl sharktooth inlays. Jackson Floyd Rose Trem (with Schaller trem arm assembly). Jackson tuners. Schaller straplocks. EMG s/s/h pickup config, with an SA at the neck (with an SPC mid boost on it alone), S in the middle, and an 89 dual mode at the bridge. With master volume, mid boost for the neck p.u., master tone (with push/pull action for bridge humbucker/single coil switching), and three on/off toggles for each pickup.

Soundwise it is the most versitile guitar I've ever seen or played. I replaced the stock Jackson pickups with the EMGs myself, and chose the components and designed the circut to be as versitile as possible. If you look at the mid boost control on the neck pickup as a psudo humbucker/singlecoil control, then there is EIGHTEEN! different pickup combinations(including "all off".)

When new in 89, the finish, action, fretjob, and overall vibe were flawless. I went to the store to buy a model 6 in black, and was compleatly knocked out (and upside the head!) to find one in firecracle. It looked like lava coming up through cracks in the earth. The only weak spot was the Jackson pickups. They were alright, but I knew the EMGs killed them as far as tone and noise were concerned. I also liked that the neck shape felt more like an SG than a strat, and that the Jackson Floyd had Gibson string spacing instead of Fender spacing like all other floyds on the planet. I also didn't like the press in/pull out chrome trem arm (all other hardware was black.) It wasn't a big deal to replace it with a better Schaller black trem arm assembly though.

Time and use are the best indicaters of durability. It went to the Persian Gulf with me when I was in the NAVY, and has been played for almost a decade now. Its' got a few minor nicks and dings, and the frets are starting to show their age, but it still kills anything else I've tried.

One time around 92/93, I ordered some replacement knife edges, stud bolts, and string lock bolts for the trem. A brand new set was sent out, but I was told that I had gotten some of the very last of the surplus of these parts, and that Charvel had discontinued that model of trem. I had to keep my old parts and sharpen up the old knife edges as I couldn't buy any more parts. (Bummer!)

After reading books, magazines, catalogs etc., I decided I wanted that model before I even walked in the store. Then the icing on the cake was the firecrackle paintjob, (which I've never seen on another model 6 anywhere else in the world!) I had to change the pickups, trem arm, and strap buttons to sute me, but that is a small price to pay to have it EXACTLY the way I wanted it.

Made in Japan from 1986 - 1989. This was the top of the line Charvel at that time. It features maple neck-through construction with basswood wings. The neck is wide and fairly thin. 24 fret rosewood fingerboard with pearl shark fin inlays. Medium jumbo frets. Jackson Floyd Rose copy, pickups, and tuners. H/S/S pickup configuration utillizing Jackson's humbucking series and two low impedence Jackson single coils. There is an active mid booster that uses a 9 volt battery. Controls are 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 active mid booster control knob, and 3 on/off switches. It came with a nice hardshell case.

It was definately designed in the days when heavy metal was in full glory. Hopefully those days will be here again soon. Without the mid booster, it sounds somewhat thin. But, crank the dial for the boost and a rich, full, ripping sound is there. You will never mistake it for a strat. There is very little noise present when clean. A lot of variety is there, you just have to use the tone knob to find it. With the humbucker and mid boost in action, it delivers the type of tone that defines metal. Low crunch for rythem work and well defined, but not scratchy, highs for leads. The singles allow you to try to do blues and more traditional rock. If I were a blues player, I would opt for something else, but it does'nt sound so bad in a pinch.

Though it is 10 years old, the playability has not diminished. I have done no real setup on it since it was purchased 2 months ago. The bridge pickup had to be brought up a little. The controls all work well. The finish is well done and the binding along the neck and headstock have aged to a bone color. The neck is very very fast.

The only real concern I have is the tremelo system. It seems to be a little too fragile. I have owned true Floyd Rose systems on my Kramers and have been able to abuse the hell out of them. The locking nut is like a Khaler type and sits behind a regular nut and has straight headed screws, not allen types. You really have to torque them down to get them to lock the strings. On a real Floyd, only light pressure with the allen wrench is needed. You should never play without a backup, unless you play simple chords and strum very lightly.

The best places to find information on these is at Rob Lane's Jackson/Charvel world or www.vintagecharveljackson.com

This guitar is owned by my rythem player. We play metal from the 80's, 90's and some punk too. I love the fact that it is neck through. It is really top of the line in it's construction and features. We searched long and hard before he commited to buying this one. We looked at new Jackson Pros, but they were more expensive and were'nt quite as nice. Also they were bolt-on necks. We also played some Ibanez and various other guitars that are in the same category. None were this nice for the price. For me, put on a real Floyd and it's ideal.

Neck Thru..see the other review for features. The additions to my particular axe that make it kick ass are as follows : EMG-81 pickup at bridge with two EMG singles in the middle and neck slots. The real kicker is an EMG active midbooster that makes it sound very fat...especially if used with the 81 in the bridge.

I think it might sound somewhat thin with EMGs without the midbooster and I have no idea how it will sound with passives, since it has had the EMGs since I bought it. For a guitar with a floyd it gets a 10 rating, but for all guitars about an 8. The neck pickup with the midbooster on kicks ass for clean playing.

When I got it it was used and had a few dings and needed some setup, which allowed me to learn the mystical inner workings of the magical Floyd Rose locking system...

Built like a brick, but as with any guitar I would never, EVER gig without a backup (my LP)

I have no idea

Its a damn good guitar, even considering it has a Floyd and I think this guitar, especially since it has EMG parts is basically best suited for heavy metal... But it wont match a nice strat for blues, or a LP for that matter. But for heavy metal its got outstanding playability and a sizzling tone.

1986 Charvel(Jackson) Model 6 made in Japan, 24 frets, poplar body, maple neck thru body construction, Jackson S/S/H Active pickups, toggle switch for each pickup; active volume, tone and mid boost (+6db) knobs. White gloss finish with black hardware, Jackson (Floyd Rose) tremolo bridge. mother of pearl fin inlays on the neck w/ jumbo frets. Locking nut, Jackson tuners, double action truss rod.

Great match for hard rock/metal. Active Mid boost knob gooses front end of amp and adds +6db to mids - good for solos/ Rhandy Roads tones. Active controls extremely quiet. Wide frequency response with good output level from the active circuitry. Neck pickup very full and rich, while bridge signal is biting and strong. Currently using with Marshall DSL100 w/ TC G-Force in effects loop. Booster pedal not needed with this guitar/amp combo. Probably not the best guitar for gritty blues, earthy, or degraded signal tones. Great for those wanting a clean strong non-noisy signal at the guitar output to start with. Harmonics are preserved well with the solid neck thru design helping to compensate for the floating bridge attenuation.

Original action setup was fast with .09 strings... very little adjustment needed. Upper register is very accessible with neck thru design. String spacing great for tapped lines but not too wide. I think they had fast 80's metal in mind when they made this guitar.
Fit and finish was superb with no flaws detected. The steel knobs are very solid and high quality. Pickup toggle switches are solid but kind of thin and I would be careful of banging them on something.
The locking nut design won't always grip the high E string, due to the design angle at which the string passes thru it from the headstock, so it slips slightly every now and then and requires a quick twist of the microtuner.
Otherwise, quality is excellent.

Requires occasional tightening of hardware and cleaning of pots like most other guitars. The original hardware is very solid in general. The fancy Jackson (Floyd Rose) tremolo bridge was an exception... small pieces break off occasionally and are easy to lose. The original tremolo arm even broke in half! Poor casting all around. Jackson doesn't make these bridges anymore (I see why) so I eventually had to install(pressure fit/drill) a new Schaller housing and arm to the Jackson base. This aftermarket arm setup is far superior to the original Jackson design.
The original finish is outstanding and has aged distinctively to a slight cream flavored color. The finish is very very tough and durable.
The main reliability concern is the active electronics which require a 9v battery. The battery can last many many months unless you leave the cord plugged in. Otherwise it's very dependable as long as you tighten everything up once in a while.
I'd feel ok without a backup if I didn't have to worry about string breakage.

Jackson has friendly and helpful staff; though, the system for ordering parts from them isn't the smoothest.

I've owned, compared and played many guitars and this is probably my favorite due to it's action, access, and versatility. It is of high quality build and has held up and kept my interest for over 10 years regular playing almost every day. My Fender Strat lasted thru only 3 years of similar use. I love the Charvel for hard rock and heavy metal. It's hard to find a well made neck thru design these days. I'm not overly impressed by many of the new guitars in the shops these days. My next main guitar will probably be a PRS or maybe Anderson, but I'll still use the Charvel when it's time to play some old Ozzy.