FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Jackson Guitar Neck

Question:
I have on my lap a guitar a buddy i work with is letting me borrow for a little whille, I was wondering exactly what kind of guitar this is. He acquired it in the early/mid 80's. The body style is similar to the modern day Jackson Soloists, the neck looks maple (not painted) with a rosewood fretboard, Sharkfin inlays. It has stock Jackson pickups in the mid and neck position (single coil), and the original bridge pickup pooped out, so he replaced it with an EMG, humbucker.. The headstock is the normal Jackson shape, with the 'Charvel' guitar logo (underneath that it says 'by Jackson/Charvel' There are 3 knobs, and 3 switches, i have yet to determine what each knob and switch does, though i'm guessing there might be a coil tap on the bucker. The neck is bolt-on, 22 fret, on the bolt-plate on the back, there is the serial number, another Charvel logo, and a PO box address in Ft Worth. The things that strikes me the most is that the tremelo (double locking) is nothing like modern floyd roses. It is a floyd rose (licensed), though the actual hardware carries the Jackson insignia, and the text 'licensed under floyd rose patents' I can't tell if there is a fine tuning mechanism or not. Also, the screws at the nut are designed for a Flat Head screwdriver, not a allen wrench/hex key.

Answer:
It has active electronics on board ... open up the back, and you will see the PCB and battery. Plugging a cord into the ¼ plug on the guitar turns on the active electronics. If you leave it plugged in all the time, the battery will wear quickly. Each pickup has it's own on/off switch ... up is off, down is on. The knob closest to the neck is the volume, the one in the middle is the tone, and the one closest to the ¼ plug is the mid-boost. At least, that's what the guy at Hot Licks Guitars called it. Turn it CCW, and you turn the mids down ... makes it sound similar to a Fender. Crank it CW, and you get a fuller sound like a Gibson LP. One of the most versatile guitars for getting different sounds that I have ever played ... that's why I have a few. It's a Charvel Mod (model) 4. If you give me the first 3 digits of the serial, I can guesstimate the year. I bought my first Mod 4 on Jan 5, 1986, but it was an '85 model. The serial on that one is 236xxx. I paid $625 for it, but I was living in Hawaii ... so everything was more expensive than on the mainland, except for pineapples, coconuts, and Kona coffee. That one doesn't have the sharkfin inlays, rosewood fretboard, and has a Kahler instead of the Jackson Floyd Rose. I have another with a maple fretboard and a Jackson Floyd. A Mod 6 is basically the same as a Mod 4, except it has a neck-thru that is painted the same color as the rest of the guitar (in most cases) and has 24 frets with the serial# on the fretboard. The Mod 4 and Mod 6 are about the best guitars I have ever played, and swear by them. I'm just pissed that Jackson didn't stick with a good product and cheapened them to push the Jacksons.