Price check 1986 Charvel model 4 I think?

[errrrrl]

So this popped up today... just says "Vintage used Charvel by Jackson, best offer, as is, cash only". I never had a Charvel before and just googled the shit out of this guitar and from what I can tell it is a MIJ 1986 Model 4 with a Kahler tremolo (which I also never had before). Are these things worth a whole lot? Good players? Or pass? I have way too many guitars but not a single Charvel so i'm curious.

What would you guys offer?

 

[greatmutah]

I own one. It’s a great playing guitar. Stock electrons are decent enough. Some guys dig them, others not so much. Depending on condition, these days I would say $500-$600. I traded a used 2000 series DSL for mine and felt it was worth the trade.

 

[errrrrl]

I own one. It’s a great playing guitar. Stock electrons are decent enough. Some guys dig them, others not so much. Depending on condition, these days I would say $500-$600. I traded a used 2000 series DSL for mine and felt it was worth the trade.

Thanks dude. I guess I should find out if its in working condition and what not. Really curious on the Kahler too.

 

[vultures]

I just sold a Charvel Model 4 a couple months ago, same exact pickup setup just in black instead of white. I struggled to get $450ish for it.

 

[glip22]

Looks like the back of neck was sanded.
If you are curious about Charvel the Model serous is not your litmus test. Not bad guitars, but not what will give you a good representation of a Charvel. Look for an older USA, or made in Japan Socal, or San Dimas. You can sometimes snag one for under a grand. One of these will give you a much better representation.

 

[petee]

Looks like the back of neck was sanded.
If you are curious about Charvel the Model serous is not your litmus test. Not bad guitars, but not what will give you a good representation of a Charvel. Look for an older USA, or made in Japan Socal, or San Dimas. You can sometimes snag one for under a grand. One of these will give you a much better representation.

I couldn't disagree more, I feel that Model series guitars are fantastic. To the OP, go check it out for yourself.

 

[greatmutah]

Looks like the back of neck was sanded.
If you are curious about Charvel the Model serous is not your litmus test. Not bad guitars, but not what will give you a good representation of a Charvel. Look for an older USA, or made in Japan Socal, or San Dimas. You can sometimes snag one for under a grand. One of these will give you a much better representation.

I couldn't disagree more, I feel that Model series guitars are fantastic. To the OP, go check it out for yourself.

I'm with Petee. The Model series guitars were made by the same factory that wound up making the Pro series Jacksons that rivaled their USA models, all the way through the aforementioned MIJ San Dimas and Socal models before production was moved to Mexico. And the necks feel amazing. I've played several Model series guitars and always loved the necks. Are they exactly like my 1982 and 1983 San Dimas guitars? No. But the current ProMods aren't either.

I personally like the Kahler. It's not a Floyd, it's really it's own animal. I like the smoothness of it and the tuning stability, mainly the fact that I can do double stop bends without going out of tune AND still be able to dive and pull up. I think at the end of the day I still prefer a Floyd just because of familiarity but I really do like the Kahler. No problems using it.

I'm really thinking I'm going to swap out the pickups on mine. The J50BC with the midboost isn't bad per se, but I think for me I need something else.

 

[skullfxr]

I have a model 1a that I got for about $350 worth of gear, it plays fantasticly, the (SSS) stock pickups are GREAT. I was pleasently surprised. Neck is great. Mine has like zero fretwear and came with the OHSC.

I would give it a test run if you can.

 

[fek]

I had a Model 2 that had the neck broken when I was in college. Loved that neck.

 

[Racerxrated]

Looks like the back of neck was sanded.
If you are curious about Charvel the Model serous is not your litmus test. Not bad guitars, but not what will give you a good representation of a Charvel. Look for an older USA, or made in Japan Socal, or San Dimas. You can sometimes snag one for under a grand. One of these will give you a much better representation.

This.

I would imagine that this would be about 3-400 tops, that's all I would pay for one, unless it's a model 5 or 6 neck through version which might be 500 tops.
As Gary said, the 08-09 series are very close to the original USAs, of which I've had 2. The necks are a little different than a real USA Charvel, with the finish on the back and the profile seems a little different to me. I had a Model 3 here for a bit, it went to my son a few yrs back. The model series are decent guitars but pretty far removed from an 08-09 USA or MIJ from 10-11.

 

[skullfxr]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

 

[Racerxrated]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

When I got out of the military in '89 my first purchase was a brand new Black Cherry Model 6. Loved that thing. Ended up trading it for a model 4, Mosvalve power amp and a 4x12..to go with my new ADA MP1. Lol. So I do like the model series, they are nice guitars but they pale in comparison to a real deal USA from the early 80s, and they should...but I believe the 08-09 USAs are also a big step up from the model series as well. The MIJ from 10-11 have a different feel to them, they are nice but the feel/tone/playability of the 08-09 USAs are #1 in my book. I've had 2 Charvel custom shops, great guitars as they should be for the price but I've played some 08-09 Charvel USAs that are AS GOOD as custom shops. I own 2 now.

 

[glip22]

Looks like the back of neck was sanded.
If you are curious about Charvel the Model serous is not your litmus test. Not bad guitars, but not what will give you a good representation of a Charvel. Look for an older USA, or made in Japan Socal, or San Dimas. You can sometimes snag one for under a grand. One of these will give you a much better representation.

I couldn't disagree more, I feel that Model series guitars are fantastic. To the OP, go check it out for yourself.

They are ok guitars. I have had 4, including a Model 6. To me, a real deal Charvel is a USA made from 08-09, 2010 Japan are good too, or a Custom Shop. The Model series is far removed from the others and stands on it's own as a decent Japanese made cheaper guitar. It is not a USA made Charvel in terms of feel and tone, which is what the OP will need to check out for the best representation of a "Charvel". A Model series is completely different.

 

[skullfxr]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

When I got out of the military in '89 my first purchase was a brand new Black Cherry Model 6. Loved that thing. Ended up trading it for a model 4, Mosvalve power amp and a 4x12..to go with my new ADA MP1. Lol. So I do like the model series, they are nice guitars but they pale in comparison to a real deal USA from the early 80s, and they should...but I believe the 08-09 USAs are also a big step up from the model series as well. The MIJ from 10-11 have a different feel to them, they are nice but the feel/tone/playability of the 08-09 USAs are #1 in my book. I've had 2 Charvel custom shops, great guitars as they should be for the price but I've played some 08-09 Charvel USAs that are AS GOOD as custom shops. I own 2 now.

My USA is a step up. I do agree. And it was NOS so it literally was brand new as of a few weeks ago. Exceptional instrument across the board. Plays like butter and sounds flat out mean.

In your opinion, how do the model series compare to later made MIJ Jacksons? I would rank the MODEL 1 up with my DK2M, DKMG, etc.

Either way they are a great guitar for the money. Hard to beat for $400-500. At least IMO.

I would kill to get another USA 200X so cal for what I got mine for.

 

[Racerxrated]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

When I got out of the military in '89 my first purchase was a brand new Black Cherry Model 6. Loved that thing. Ended up trading it for a model 4, Mosvalve power amp and a 4x12..to go with my new ADA MP1. Lol. So I do like the model series, they are nice guitars but they pale in comparison to a real deal USA from the early 80s, and they should...but I believe the 08-09 USAs are also a big step up from the model series as well. The MIJ from 10-11 have a different feel to them, they are nice but the feel/tone/playability of the 08-09 USAs are #1 in my book. I've had 2 Charvel custom shops, great guitars as they should be for the price but I've played some 08-09 Charvel USAs that are AS GOOD as custom shops. I own 2 now.

My USA is a step up. I do agree. And it was NOS so it literally was brand new as of a few weeks ago. Exceptional instrument across the board. Plays like butter and sounds flat out mean.

In your opinion, how do the model series compare to later made MIJ Jacksons? I would rank the MODEL 1 up with my DK2M, DKMG, etc.

Either way they are a great guitar for the money. Hard to beat for $400-500. At least IMO.

I would kill to get another USA 200X so cal for what I got mine for.

I've only had 1 MIJ Jackson, it was a fire red SL3 about 15 yrs ago, nice guitar and better than the model series Imo. But it had a beefier neck profile than Charvel, so it didn't stay long. Nice guitar though. I have had 4 USA bolt on Jacksons from 86-88 as they are pretty spot on to an early 80s Charvels, at least as close as you can get without paying 2k for a vintage Charvel. Grover just shipped the Charvel name to Japan and kept producing the same Charvel bolt ons with the Jackson name on the hs.
I have had a couple 90s SL1s, USA Soloists and they are flat out KILLER guitars. The last one I had, had the active mid boost circuitry and sounded amazing. I decided to chase the C+ Coliseum so it had to go unfortunately, as I needed to raise some cash.

The going rate for the 08-09 USA Charvels seems to be around 1K, give or take, as they've gone up in value. I've had my plum 09 for a couple yrs now, and paid 549 for it. Mint condition and plays like melted butter. Unreal. I've had one straight up trade offer from a local guy who has a bunch of 60s strats and a 58 LP. Suhr Modern straight up. Nope. Mine plays circles around his.

The latest is an 08 Candy Tangerine SoCal, got lucky as it was 649 and even more mint than my plum, not even a pick swirl/light scratch mark on it. The plum has a couple very light swirls. This one sounds amazing, I hate the Tone Zones they come with but this one even makes a Tone Zone sound great. Lol. All I've ever had to do to these is clean the neck with some 0000 steel wool and it's like a new axe.

 

[skullfxr]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

When I got out of the military in '89 my first purchase was a brand new Black Cherry Model 6. Loved that thing. Ended up trading it for a model 4, Mosvalve power amp and a 4x12..to go with my new ADA MP1. Lol. So I do like the model series, they are nice guitars but they pale in comparison to a real deal USA from the early 80s, and they should...but I believe the 08-09 USAs are also a big step up from the model series as well. The MIJ from 10-11 have a different feel to them, they are nice but the feel/tone/playability of the 08-09 USAs are #1 in my book. I've had 2 Charvel custom shops, great guitars as they should be for the price but I've played some 08-09 Charvel USAs that are AS GOOD as custom shops. I own 2 now.

My USA is a step up. I do agree. And it was NOS so it literally was brand new as of a few weeks ago. Exceptional instrument across the board. Plays like butter and sounds flat out mean.

In your opinion, how do the model series compare to later made MIJ Jacksons? I would rank the MODEL 1 up with my DK2M, DKMG, etc.

Either way they are a great guitar for the money. Hard to beat for $400-500. At least IMO.

I would kill to get another USA 200X so cal for what I got mine for.

I've only had 1 MIJ Jackson, it was a fire red SL3 about 15 yrs ago, nice guitar and better than the model series Imo. But it had a beefier neck profile than Charvel, so it didn't stay long. Nice guitar though. I have had 4 USA bolt on Jacksons from 86-88 as they are pretty spot on to an early 80s Charvels, at least as close as you can get without paying 2k for a vintage Charvel. Grover just shipped the Charvel name to Japan and kept producing the same Charvel bolt ons with the Jackson name on the hs.
I have had a couple 90s SL1s, USA Soloists and they are flat out KILLER guitars. The last one I had, had the active mid boost circuitry and sounded amazing. I decided to chase the C+ Coliseum so it had to go unfortunately, as I needed to raise some cash.

The going rate for the 08-09 USA Charvels seems to be around 1K, give or take, as they've gone up in value. I've had my plum 09 for a couple yrs now, and paid 549 for it. Mint condition and plays like melted butter. Unreal. I've had one straight up trade offer from a local guy who has a bunch of 60s strats and a 58 LP. Suhr Modern straight up. Nope. Mine plays circles around his.

The latest is an 08 Candy Tangerine SoCal, got lucky as it was 649 and even more mint than my plum, not even a pick swirl/light scratch mark on it. The plum has a couple very light swirls. This one sounds amazing, I hate the Tone Zones they come with but this one even makes a Tone Zone sound great. Lol. All I've ever had to do to these is clean the neck with some 0000 steel wool and it's like a new axe.

My so cal is also plum. Do you know what pickups came on yours? Mine are dimarzios but I don't know what model.

I have around 10 MIJ Jacksons. I love them. They are great bang for the buck. I have a lot of other guitars, but MIJ Jacksons is what I hoard. Lol. I have one USA Soloist Jackson too and it's godly.

Thanks for the background on the Charvel and Jackson info

 

[thisguy]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

When I got out of the military in '89 my first purchase was a brand new Black Cherry Model 6. Loved that thing. Ended up trading it for a model 4, Mosvalve power amp and a 4x12..to go with my new ADA MP1. Lol. So I do like the model series, they are nice guitars but they pale in comparison to a real deal USA from the early 80s, and they should...but I believe the 08-09 USAs are also a big step up from the model series as well. The MIJ from 10-11 have a different feel to them, they are nice but the feel/tone/playability of the 08-09 USAs are #1 in my book. I've had 2 Charvel custom shops, great guitars as they should be for the price but I've played some 08-09 Charvel USAs that are AS GOOD as custom shops. I own 2 now.

My USA is a step up. I do agree. And it was NOS so it literally was brand new as of a few weeks ago. Exceptional instrument across the board. Plays like butter and sounds flat out mean.

In your opinion, how do the model series compare to later made MIJ Jacksons? I would rank the MODEL 1 up with my DK2M, DKMG, etc.

Either way they are a great guitar for the money. Hard to beat for $400-500. At least IMO.

I would kill to get another USA 200X so cal for what I got mine for.

I've only had 1 MIJ Jackson, it was a fire red SL3 about 15 yrs ago, nice guitar and better than the model series Imo. But it had a beefier neck profile than Charvel, so it didn't stay long. Nice guitar though. I have had 4 USA bolt on Jacksons from 86-88 as they are pretty spot on to an early 80s Charvels, at least as close as you can get without paying 2k for a vintage Charvel. Grover just shipped the Charvel name to Japan and kept producing the same Charvel bolt ons with the Jackson name on the hs.
I have had a couple 90s SL1s, USA Soloists and they are flat out KILLER guitars. The last one I had, had the active mid boost circuitry and sounded amazing. I decided to chase the C+ Coliseum so it had to go unfortunately, as I needed to raise some cash.

The going rate for the 08-09 USA Charvels seems to be around 1K, give or take, as they've gone up in value. I've had my plum 09 for a couple yrs now, and paid 549 for it. Mint condition and plays like melted butter. Unreal. I've had one straight up trade offer from a local guy who has a bunch of 60s strats and a 58 LP. Suhr Modern straight up. Nope. Mine plays circles around his.

The latest is an 08 Candy Tangerine SoCal, got lucky as it was 649 and even more mint than my plum, not even a pick swirl/light scratch mark on it. The plum has a couple very light swirls. This one sounds amazing, I hate the Tone Zones they come with but this one even makes a Tone Zone sound great. Lol. All I've ever had to do to these is clean the neck with some 0000 steel wool and it's like a new axe.

My so cal is also plum. Do you know what pickups came on yours? Mine are dimarzios but I don't know what model.

I have around 10 MIJ Jacksons. I love them. They are great bang for the buck. I have a lot of other guitars, but MIJ Jacksons is what I hoard. Lol. I have one USA Soloist Jackson too and it's godly.

Thanks for the background on the Charvel and Jackson info

I believe all the USA So-Cals came with Tone Zones in the bridge and Evolutions in the neck.

Here is an old review of one.
https://legendarytones.com/charvel-so-cal-usa/

 

[Racerxrated]

I love my USA Charvel So-cal (NGD thread in a few days) but I really like my model 1a. Personally I am looking to pick up another model series Charvel.

When I got out of the military in '89 my first purchase was a brand new Black Cherry Model 6. Loved that thing. Ended up trading it for a model 4, Mosvalve power amp and a 4x12..to go with my new ADA MP1. Lol. So I do like the model series, they are nice guitars but they pale in comparison to a real deal USA from the early 80s, and they should...but I believe the 08-09 USAs are also a big step up from the model series as well. The MIJ from 10-11 have a different feel to them, they are nice but the feel/tone/playability of the 08-09 USAs are #1 in my book. I've had 2 Charvel custom shops, great guitars as they should be for the price but I've played some 08-09 Charvel USAs that are AS GOOD as custom shops. I own 2 now.

My USA is a step up. I do agree. And it was NOS so it literally was brand new as of a few weeks ago. Exceptional instrument across the board. Plays like butter and sounds flat out mean.

In your opinion, how do the model series compare to later made MIJ Jacksons? I would rank the MODEL 1 up with my DK2M, DKMG, etc.

Either way they are a great guitar for the money. Hard to beat for $400-500. At least IMO.

I would kill to get another USA 200X so cal for what I got mine for.

I've only had 1 MIJ Jackson, it was a fire red SL3 about 15 yrs ago, nice guitar and better than the model series Imo. But it had a beefier neck profile than Charvel, so it didn't stay long. Nice guitar though. I have had 4 USA bolt on Jacksons from 86-88 as they are pretty spot on to an early 80s Charvels, at least as close as you can get without paying 2k for a vintage Charvel. Grover just shipped the Charvel name to Japan and kept producing the same Charvel bolt ons with the Jackson name on the hs.
I have had a couple 90s SL1s, USA Soloists and they are flat out KILLER guitars. The last one I had, had the active mid boost circuitry and sounded amazing. I decided to chase the C+ Coliseum so it had to go unfortunately, as I needed to raise some cash.

The going rate for the 08-09 USA Charvels seems to be around 1K, give or take, as they've gone up in value. I've had my plum 09 for a couple yrs now, and paid 549 for it. Mint condition and plays like melted butter. Unreal. I've had one straight up trade offer from a local guy who has a bunch of 60s strats and a 58 LP. Suhr Modern straight up. Nope. Mine plays circles around his.

The latest is an 08 Candy Tangerine SoCal, got lucky as it was 649 and even more mint than my plum, not even a pick swirl/light scratch mark on it. The plum has a couple very light swirls. This one sounds amazing, I hate the Tone Zones they come with but this one even makes a Tone Zone sound great. Lol. All I've ever had to do to these is clean the neck with some 0000 steel wool and it's like a new axe.

My so cal is also plum. Do you know what pickups came on yours? Mine are dimarzios but I don't know what model.

I have around 10 MIJ Jacksons. I love them. They are great bang for the buck. I have a lot of other guitars, but MIJ Jacksons is what I hoard. Lol. I have one USA Soloist Jackson too and it's godly.

Thanks for the background on the Charvel and Jackson info

I believe all the USA So-Cals came with Tone Zones in the bridge and Evolutions in the neck.

Here is an old review of one.
https://legendarytones.com/charvel-so-cal-usa/

These guitars sound best with a slightly darker pup in the bridge, I have a Custom in the Tangerine and an RTM in the Plum. The RTM is like a JB but with a sweeter top end, It's probably a bit bright for the SoCal.
The best pup Imo for these is a MCP Afwayu. Awesome combination.

 

[petee]

Looks like the back of neck was sanded.
If you are curious about Charvel the Model serous is not your litmus test. Not bad guitars, but not what will give you a good representation of a Charvel. Look for an older USA, or made in Japan Socal, or San Dimas. You can sometimes snag one for under a grand. One of these will give you a much better representation.

I couldn't disagree more, I feel that Model series guitars are fantastic. To the OP, go check it out for yourself.

They are ok guitars. I have had 4, including a Model 6. To me, a real deal Charvel is a USA made from 08-09, 2010 Japan are good too, or a Custom Shop. The Model series is far removed from the others and stands on it's own as a decent Japanese made cheaper guitar. It is not a USA made Charvel in terms of feel and tone, which is what the OP will need to check out for the best representation of a "Charvel". A Model series is completely different.

Not interested in an argument about what is better, the OP was asking about a Model 4 not a USA this or MIJ that. You'd be a amazed what a decent guitar player can do on much an inferior instrument.

 

[skullfxr]

I just snagged a model 1 that I mentioned for $300. Plays awesome. Black with maple board, single bucker. It is a force to be reckoned with.