Charvel Model A

Bolt neck with ebony fretboard, great mOP inlays, and maple top. 2 humbucker pickups and 3 way switch, 1 vol 1 tone.

The tone of this guitar is wonderful. The only reason it gets a 9 is because the pickups are so damn hot you have to have a quality clean amp that won't get overdriven, which fortunately i have in my Fender The Twin. It's a quiet guitar with tremndous harmonics and detail. It really picks up everything. If you think it's noisy, it's cuz you can't play!!!

Action is amazing. No buzzes, and no hassles.

It's a Charvel! Made in Japan! super high quality. I would not use it on a gig without a backup because it has active pickups.

I've been playing 15 years, have a Jackson Soloist, a Charvel 650xl, Ibanez 540ltd, and a littany of other guitars. This one is up there, I don' tlike the round headstock, but the sound is awesome.

it was made in 2002-24 xj frets-flamed maple top-1volume 1 tone-two seymour dunacan metal live wires
-mohogany body quilted maple top
- i also got a charvel custom case

this guitar has no clean sound, no good sound either unless you want to spend another 150 dollars on better pu`s , the only good thing is the harmonics which are easily obtained, also the floyd copy tremolo is ok but you cant pull it back far enough, unless you took out one of the springs in the back. like I said the sound is ok but I paid 720 for it and my Ibanez starter pack had better sounds

the flamed top was awesome no flaws but the neck is very this almost like a fender or G and l - the fretboard also has a string buzz no unless I raise the floyd copy and strings to telephone pole height.

I would not trust this guitar on stage cause it is very flimsy it only looks nice, the frets do not last long cause I havent had mine for more than twoo months and they are already showing signs of wear wich worries me, also the ebony fretboard is very high maintenance if you know what I mean, also the strap buttons feel flimsy and I would not advise anyone to sling your guitar around your neck a couple of times, overall for the price I paid 720 I would not recommend this flop guitar too anyone with unless you just want a nice looking guitar that plays like crap.

there is no support that I know about cause charvel isnt even around anymore.

I have been playing for three years and I plan on selling this too some sucker who will pay 700 on ebay for a crap guitar like I did
-ask yourself do you reallly want an ok guitar with no clean sound and muddy distortion no matter what?
- if it were stolen I would be mad cause of what I paid for it , but I dont plan on having it for much longer.
- I wish it had better pickups ,a much slimmer faster neck, a quality tremolo like kahler , and maybe coil tap but no , it is only an expensive show guitar with no real playing value unless you spend an extra 500 on it for a new trem and better pickups like the emg 81s,
but for 700 dollars you would expect alot more quality and workmanship. I only gave it a three cause it has a nice paint job.

Made in Japan.
24 jumbo frets.
1/8 quilted AAAAA maple top with mahogany body.
1 master volume and 1 master tone control with 3 way pickup selector.
Pickups are 2 Seymour Duncan Livewire active pickups (one 9v batt per pickup).
Maple neck with Ebony fretboard.
Black finish with black hardware.
Lice. Floyed Rose bridge.
Die cast tuners.

Locking nut.

METAL...ONLY METAL...FOREVER METAL...
THIS GUITAR DOES NOT HAVE A CLEAN SOUND! Played through the clean channel (on my Marshall AVT 100) its sounds like its on overdrive. Crank
up the gain on the OD 1 channel and play it through a Boss Metal Zone and satan will climb out of hell and as you to turn it down. THEY ARE LOUDER THAT THE SIRENS BEING SCREWED BY THE CYCLOPES. They rock harder than any thing i've ever played. With screaming harmonics and massive midrange the neighbores will complain.

everthing as of yet is top notch.
Bridge very good.
Tuners Very good.
Neck Fuc*in' great.
Excellent quality.
Nice overall feel

Dind't have it for long but looks like it can tack a beating.
so far so good!

Solid 80's style metal guitar. Loud, clear, quite expresive!!!!
I would hump it if i could.

MY 6-STRING SLINGING BROTHERS...GET ONE OF THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOT IT FROM AMERICAN MUSICAL SUPPLY. CLOSEOUT PRICE $429.00. LISTS RIGHT AT $1,200.00. ACTUALLY, I ORDERED A PRO SERIES 'JOURNEYMAN' WITH A SINGLE DUNCAN JB HUMMER FOR CLOSEOUT PRICE OF $299.00, BUT AMS SHIPPED THIS AXE BY MISTAKE. I CALLED AND TOLD THEM OF THEIR MISTAKE, AND OFFERED TO RETURN IT TO KEEP THEIR INVENTORY CORRECT. THE SALES REP TOLD ME TO CONSIDER MYSELF FORTUNATE, AND SINCE I LIKE THE GUITAR TO KEEP IT. GOTTA LOVE THAT.
THIS IS A JAPANESE 2003 MADE GUITAR. 25.5 INCH SCALE EBONY FRETBOARD WHICH IS WONDERFULLY FLAT AND WIDE.
24 EXTRA JUMBO FRETS WHICH ARE BEAUTIFULLY FINISHED. THE FRETBOARD HAS ROLLED EDGES WHICH SPEEDS THINGS UP.
CAST, SEALED TUNERS AND DOUBLE LOCKING ROSE-LICENSED DUAL FULCRUM THREADED WANGER. THE THREADED FEATURE KEEPS THE WANGER WHERE YOU WANT IT. I CAN SOAR AND DIVE EXTREME WITHOUT DE-TUNING THE GUITAR.
THE ELECTRIC BLUE FINISH IS A BEAUT. THE HEADSTOCK EXUDES A WARM, BUTTERY GLOW. SOUNDS SILLY BUT IT DOES.
STRAT STYLE BOD MADE OF MAHOGONY WHICH GIVES SUSTAIN AND WARMTH.
2 SEYMORE DUNCAN 'LIVE WIRE' 9-VOLT PUP'S WITH 3-WAY TOGGLE. I PLAY FUSION ORIGINALS AND WANTED THE 'JOURNEYMAN' FOR THE VERSATILITY THE COIL TAPPING TOGGLE AFFORDS. HOWEVER, THE 'LIVE WIRES', EBONY F/B COMBINED WITH THE MAHOGONY BODY GIVE ME SUSTAIN WITHOUT COMPRESSION, MAD-EXCELLENT HARMONICS AND WILD-ASS FEEDBACK AT WILL.
COMES WITH ALL NESSESARY WRENCHES.
THIS IS A SOLID AXE.
I GIVE IT A '10' FOR FEATURES.
MY OPINIONS ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THE MEANS WHICH I ENDED UP WITH THIS GUITAR.

I PLAY THROUGH AN 'A.R.T. DST-830 RULES BREAKER' COMBO. 5 ONBOARD PRE-AMPS, DAN PIERCE 130-WATT STEREO POWER AMP, PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL EFFECTS SECTION. I LOVE THIS AMP! TOO BAD THEY ARE NO LONGER MADE.
RACK EFFECTS AND STOMPERS:
-CHANDLER TUBE DRIVER RACKMOUNT
-B.B.E. 422A SONIC MAXIMIZER.
CONSIDERING AN APHEX GUITAR XCITER, THOUGH.
-BOSS CS-1 COMPRESSOR-SUSTAINER
-MORLEY BAD HORSIE 2
-BOSS E.Q.-20
I PLAY MY OWN FUSION ORIGINALS. THE MODEL 'A' SUITS MY PLAYING FINE.
THERE IS SOME NOISE WITH THE CS-1 ONLINE. OFFLINE THE NOISE GOES AWAY.
I CAN GET A NICE CLEAN SOUND FROM THESE GONZO-PERFORMANCE PUP'S WITH THE TUBE DRIVER OFFLINE AS LONG AS I BACKOFF MY ATTACK. A LITTLE ATTACK PRODUCES EXPRESSIVE 'DIRT'. HOWEVER, I CAN'T GET STRAT OR TELE SOUNDS LIKE I CAN WITH MY 11 YEAR OLD JAPANESE IBANEZ RG WITH V7/S1/V8 H/S/H PUP'S AND 5-WAY SWITCH.
THEREFORE A '9' FOR A SLIGHT LACK OF VERSATILITY.

ACTION PERFECT OUT OF THE BOX.
PUP'S WERE, TOO.
BRIDGE ROUTING PRECISE LIKE JAPANESE MANNERS.
ELECTRIC BLUE IS SEXAAAY!
A '10' FOR FOR FIT AND FINISH.

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR AND BASS SINCE 1963. I CAN TELL A SOLID, WELL MADE AXE BY LOOKING AT IT. I HAVE OWNED THIS GUITAR 1 WEEK AND CAN TELL THAT IT IS SOLID, WELL MADE AND WILL DO WELL OVER TIME.
THE STRAP BUTTONS ARE HUGE AND HOLD MY STRAP TIGHT.
THE FINISH SEEMS THICK AND IS LUSTUROUS.
PLAYING GUITAR WITHOUT BACKUP IS LIKE TOASTING A BEER AT, AND IN VEIW OF, A COP IN TRAFFIC. THEN, DRINKING IT. YOU WILL GET IN TROUBLE.

AMERICAN MUSICAL SUPPLY HAS A 45-DAY SATISFACTION GUARANTEE POLICY. I CAN RETURN IT FOR REFUNDV OR REPLACEMENT AT WHIM. THAT IS NICE. AND SINCE I HAVE HAD THIS TOY SO SHORT A TIME, A GREMLIN MAY STILL POP UP.
IN ANSWERING THIS QUESTION, I HAVE COME TO REALIZE I DID NOT RECEIVE A FACTORY WARRANTEE CARD. I AM SURE THIS WILL BE RESOLVED TO MY SATISFACTION. HELLO AMS!
A '9' FOR NO W-CARD, AND A 'DUH' SIGN FOR ME NOT NOTICING.

LIKE I STATED EARLIER, I HAVE BEEN PLAYING SINCE 1963. THIS IS MY THIRD CHARVEL. ONE WAS A SAN DIMAS 'STAR' THAT I SOLD TO A GOOD GUY IN L.A.
I 'A/B'd SEVERAL FENDER AMERICAN SERIES STRATS & DELUXES AT GUITAR CENTER, PHOENIX DURING NOV. & DEC. 2003 AND FINALLY DECIDED NOT TO BUY ANY OF THEM DUE TO SEVERAL FLAWS AND NO FRIGGIN' BALLS! I HATE TO SAY THAT, BUT IT IS TRUE. IN 1997 I BOUGHT AN AMERICAN STRAT FROM THAT SAME STORE AND RETURNED IT 30 DAYS LATER. THE DAMN THING! SO, I CHOSE THE FAMILIARITY OF CHARVEL. EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MAIL-ORDER, WITH AMS's EXCELLENT RETURN SAFETY NET, I FELT I WOULD NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
LOCKING TUNERS WOULD BE NICE.
MY FAVORITE FEATURE IS THE SYNERGISTIC BENEFITS OF "THE 'LIVE WIRES', EBONY F/B COMBINED WITH THE MAHOGONY BODY GIVE ME SUSTAIN WITHOUT COMPRESSION, MAD-EXCELLENT HARMONICS AND WILD-ASS FEEDBACK AT WILL."
WERE IT TO BE STOLEN; WOE TO THE SUFFERING BASTARD! I AM A 30+ YEAR VETERAN MARTIAL ARTIST. MY NETWORK OF ASSOCIATES AND FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES WOULD HELP ME TRACK THE FELLOW DOWN. I CAN MAKE HIM WISH HE HAD NEVER BEEN HIS DADDY'S HARD-ON.
IF I LOST IT THROUGH SOME FOOLISHNESS ON MY PART, I WOULD KICK MY OWN ASS AND BUY ANOTHER TO NURSE ME BACK TO HEALTH.
A '10'. AND THIS TIME, MY OPINION MIGHT BEAR THE MEREST SHADOW OF THE SLIGHTEST POSSIBILITY THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN PERSUADED EVER SO SLIGHTLY BY THE UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING MY AQUISITION OF THIS GUITAR.

2003 Charvel Model A, made in Japan as they all are.
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Mahogany body with AAAAA 1/8" quilted maple top in wine red. One of the reviews below says it's a superstrat body style, which I don't agree with. Comparing it with several Soloist-style guitars I own, and a 1980's Charvel that does have the superstrat body, it's definitely a Soloist body.
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24-fret bolt-on quartersawn maple neck with ebony board and MOP dot inlays. The neck finish is either unfinished or satin. The fretboard itself is flat and somewhat wider than your average Jackson or 80's Charvel neck, and reminds me somewhat of the ESP Kamikaze, though the back contour is thinner than the ESP, and more comfortable.
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Dual humbucker configuration, both active Seymour Duncan Live Wires.
Access to the battery compartment is accomplished by unscrewing the back plate to the control cavity (AAAARRRGHHH!!!!!), as opposed to a flip-out battery compartment. C'mon guys, things have changed since the 80's. This is why I rate this guitar a 9 for features, not a 10.
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One volume, one tone control, and 3-way blade pickup selector.
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Jackson/Charvel JT580-LP double locking tremolo.
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All hardware is black.
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Comes with Jackson hardshell case and the usual assortment of Allen wrenches.

The pickups on this thing are insanely hot. I own many guitars, some active, some passive. The obvious comparison here is to the EMG-81 set, which is of course a classic, great sounding pickup set. However, EMG sets are powered by one 9-volt battery. The Live Wires are powered by two, and they scream. This does suit me very well, as I play lead in a...well, I'm not sure what we are...you decide (www.lifedenied.com). Either way, these pickups drive the hell out of the amp.
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SD Live Wires do seem to have a little more top-end than the EMG 81, meaning they're more trebly, yet they have similar low-end chunk to the 81, so it's a nice combination of the two. Pinch harmonics and long sustain are very easy, but alot of the sustain comes from the Mahogany body (and your fingers). I think I do prefer the rhythm sound of the EMG 81.
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I run this guitar into a Peavey XXX head, no effects except an occasional wah. This differs quite a bit from my setup when playing other guitars, where I use a compressor and sometimes an overdrive.
I do have a noise gate that I use when space is cramped and I find myself standing closer to my amp than usual. This applies to all my guitars, not just this Charvel. There's also a reverb and delay in the effects loop of the amp for some lead stuff and clean playing (clean playing, by the way, is something you can FORGET with these pickups).
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I rate this a 10, because I didn't purchase this guitar for clean sounds. If you are looking for active pickups that clean up decently, I'd recommend the EMG 81 or 85 (the 85 cleans up a little better).

I have a 1986 Charvel Model 4, which to this day, in spite of heavy abuse and age, still has perfect action. Perfect, in my book, is lowering the action to where there is just barely no fret buzz, and then raising it just slightly.
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Well, the Model A came set up exactly that way, so I had nothing to adjust. The only thing I did do is restring the guitar with Elixir 9's, which I do to all my guitars.
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The pickups were adjusted perfectly. No complaints.
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I looked and I looked, but I can't find fit or finish flaws. I'm certain there are some, because I have yet to see a guitar without at least ONE flaw, but I can't find it.
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The AAAAA quilted maple top on this thing is truly spectacular. It has to be seen in person to truly appreciate, as website images don't do it justice.
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Now, here's my complaint: I don't know what it is, but my picking hand continues to rub up against the volume control when playing on the top two strings. To counteract this, I've had to move my picking hand so that I'm playing almost directly above the neck pickup. This issue hasn't caused me to actually move the volume control inadvertently, but it's still annoying.
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This may be just me, so I can't really fault the guitar, but it gets a 9 anyway, because that does impede my playing somewhat, and is not an issue I have with other guitars. The guitar is very comfortable to play, and as I do tend to add a bit of self-indulgent shred to the leads I play, this guitar lends itself very well to that.

The guitar feels very solid, and again I'm comparing this to an '86 Charvel Model 4 I've had since...well...1986, that has lasted to this very day. The strap buttons are solid, large enough to not require strap-loks.
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The finish is thick, and with proper care (which I did not extend to my other Charvel......beer, drops off half-stacks, etc.) should last a long time.
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High-end Charvels are not crap, and can be depended on. Obviously spare batteries are a must, as with any active pickup set.
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Gigging without a backup is just stupid, and at this point I have far too many guitars for that to be an issue.
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This will hold up just as well as any USA Jackson, and if you own one of those, you know they last...and last...and last. If you own an old Japanese Charvel, you know those last forever, too.

The guitar was shipped directly from Jackson (or Fender at this point, I guess) and they came through for me here, after screwing up. Originally, they sent me a Charvel Traditional, and when advised of their mistake, express shipped me the proper guitar, which I had three days later. I would say they didn't make me return the other guitar first, but that was actually due to Lloyd at GuitarExpress.com being a good guy, and concerning himself more with my satisfaction than with the possibility that I might try to rip him off.
Thanks, Lloyd!
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The rating of 10 applies more to my experience with GuitarExpress.com, though the manufacturer obviously was helpful here, too.

I've been playing for about 17 years now, and in addition to this Charvel, own another Charvel (as mentioned above), two Jacksons, an ESP (LTD deluxe actually), a Fender Malmsteen, an Ibanez (I'm not proud of that), and an American Ovation acoustic/electric. I've also owned an ESP Kamikaze and Schecter C1-Plus, both of which were very nice guitars but ultimately went bye-bye via Ebay.
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These Charvels are well made with high quality material. I love Mahogany bodied guitars and ebony fingerboards, both of which this guitar has. I was originally considering putting a guitar together from Warmoth parts (which I'll still have to do someday), but I found exactly what I would have built in the Model A.
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My only gripe is the aforementioned issue I'm having with the positioning of the volume control.
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Take note: this is a guitar suited for playing METAL. If you're looking for something with less intense pickups, the other new Charvel models floating around all sport passive electronics.
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If it were lost (once again, see my many other reviews for my take on the intelligence level of people who lose gear) or stolen, I would buy another.
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What I have here, is another guitar that is going to last a long time, and sound great a long time from now. I've noticed over the years that with Jackson, particularly their Charvels, you get what you pay for.
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I'm very impressed, and that's not easy.

Listed in previous post. However, this guitar has active electronics with the Live Wire Heavy Metal pickups. I swapped out the pickups for a Duncan '59 and JB and rewired the guitar to have 2 volume controls. I never use tone controls and usually disconnect them. However, I decided to wire this guitar for maximum versatility with 2 volumes so I can have the neck volume rolled down for clean and the bridge volume up for dirty, or the neck volume off for those Ace Frehley toggle switch moments :-) This is now my dream guitar as I would have built it.

The guitar sounds good. However, the Duncan Live Wires have so much output I had to totally readjust my rig if I used a different guitar. Put it this way, I was getting extreme amounts of gain out of my Twin Reverb plugged straight in using the same amp settings I use for my crystal clear sounds. As a result, I swapped out the Live Wires and the 2 9 volts (!!!!) and installed a Duncan '59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. Now it sounds fantastic and matches up well with my other guitars (Charvel strat, Charvel Predator, Gibson Les Paul, Agile LP2000).

This is the reason I bought the guitar. It plays fantastic. I didn't even bother plugging it in at the store 'cause I can always fix the sound with some good replacement pickups. The action was super low and didn't buzz anywhere and the neck felt extremely fast. The finish is black and has no flaws. It looks exactly like the Model A pictured on the Jackson website. I think I like the Schaller Floyd on my Charvel Predator a little better simply because the fine tuners are in the usual place and angle. The Jackson bridge has them moved slightly forward and angled back, which took a little getting used to. I can't deduct for this though because the guitar still played great.

I used this guitar live without a backup the day I bought it with no problems. I usually don't gig without a backup so that was strictly a one time thing but I see no problems with reliablitity. I have 2 other Charvels from the late 80's, early 90's and have never had any trouble with either one. I wish I could say the same about my Les Paul.

N/A. As I mentioned above, I've been a long time Charvel user without incident. When I heard Charvel's were being made again, I knew I had to get another one and am not disappointed.

I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and have used Charvel guitars for 15 of those years and this guitar lives up to the name. I use it exclusively now for any guitar part needing a tremelo as well as any 80's and 90's rock. I use my Les Paul and LP2000 for 70's rock. I plug all guitars into a Marshall 1987X modded to '68 specs with a THD Hotplate and a Marshall 4 X 12 loaded with Greenback reissues. The Model A is a great playing guitar. The only thing I would change would be stock Duncan pickups, which are just too hot for my style of music. Today's down-tuning, Mesa Rectifier players would probably love them though. However, since I did have to change pickups (which I do to all of my guitars anyway) I can't give it a 10 overall. Only a guitar I would not have to change should deserve a 10.

Year 2002,made in Japan,24 frets,one volume and one control knob with a 3-way pickup selector switch,pickup configuration H/H,Seymour Duncan Live Metal wire pickups,passive electronics,solid black finish,mahogany body with maple top,solid 1 peice maple neck with ebony fretboard,Superstrat body style,Jackson JT580LP double locking tremolo solid black hardware,thin scale neck for easy shredding.

Great metal/shredders guitar. Used with my Crate GX-212+ amp and DOD VGS valve guitar processor. Gave me a rich full sound with no problems. I love this guitar!

Factory set up is N/A because I immediately take off the factory strings and replace them with D'addario 9's. I also lowered the bridge height just a tad for my liking and still there was no fret buzz. The only flaw I noticed was as you look down the neck of the guitar from the body end I saw that the first sting gets slightly closer to the edge of the neck. By that I mean the 1st string not quite centered to the fretboard. But you would have to look close to even notice that. Thae guitar still plays fantastic!

Yes, the guitar would withstand live playing. Hardware seems just fine and would last. Cannot find any flaws in the finish. Paint is great. Strap buttons seem solid as I have only had this guitar for 2 weeks. I do feel this guitar is dependable. And I would feel confident using this guitar without a backup.

Warrinty is standard for a Charvel/Jackson guitar.

I currenty own many other Charvel/Jackson guitars. No USA models just import ones. I believe this has to be one the finer import guitar on the market today. If it were lost or stolen I would replace it right away. I love the feel of the neck and the jumbo frets. Also the metal sound is awesome. The overall quality of this guitar is comparable to a USA model. The only drawback I can see is the $735 price tag. I might scare away some people paying that price for an import guitar. But the quality I believe is better than the 1980's Charvel's that were made in Japan. If anyone has any questions feel free to e-mail me and I will try to answer them.