1987 Charvel Model 5A

Details

There are a number of Charvel Model series guitars seen less frequently, such as this 5A. This is the same body shape and neck through design of a standard model 5, but equipped only with a single humbucker and volume control.

The factory pickup would’ve been a covered J90C, but the previous owner removed that. When I received this, it had a Carvin M22SD connected to a 25k EMG pot, which gave it a very muted sound. I was able to acquire a J90C (sans cover) and replaced the pot with a standard 500k unit that really opened up the sound. The J90C has been compared with the Seymour Duncan Distortion and I definitely hear the similarity in the design. It’s a great pickup for a lead guitar shred machine like this one.

The body is in decent condition with a number of small nicks and dings that were patched up by a previous owner in a “similar” color touch up paint, but the touch ups are noticeably darker than the stock black cherry finish. Luckily, the neck is in great shape on the back, and the fretboard is clean with smooth frets making this a great player.

A previous owner replaced the arm bushing with a floyd rose unit, so this JT-6 bridge takes standard collared floyd arms, a big plus.

It’s also worth noting the behind the nut locking on this guitar uses allen keys rather than a flat head screwdriver like earlier ones. Based on the S/N pattern of the bolt on models, that should put this one as pretty late in 1987.

I no longer own this instrument