User Manual

Congratulations! You've just joined countless others in what may be one of the best decisions
you've ever made.For over 20 years Charvel has been creating some of the finest guitars and bass-
es in the music world and you are now the owner of one of them, so be proud. Long before the late,
great Randy Rhoads walked into our shop we made it our business to make the tools that musicians
want.A Charvel isn't for everyone, but you're not everyone, are you? Take a few moments between
staring at you're new beast and wailing on it to read some of the info in this manual. Keep in mind
that some procedures in this manual should only be performed by qualified technicians or persons
who have experience in neck adjustments and intonation.
CHARVEL OWNER'S MANUAL – ALL MODELS
CONTROLS
1. VOLUME CONTROL:This knob acts as the master output of the guitar.Rotating the knob
clockwise will will increase the volume, counterclockwise will decrease the volume - DUH!
2. TONE CONTROL: This knob acts as a high frequency roll off.With the knob turned fully clockwise,
all frequencies are present. When the knob is turned counterclockwise, the higher frequencies are
rolled off, giving a more muted tone.
3. PICKUP SELECTOR SWITCH: The pickup switch is used to switch between different combina-
tions of the pickups. We use three main types of switches in most of our models. The 3-way slotted,
3-way toggle and 5-way slotted. The 3-way is used in most of our 2 pickup guitars and works as fol-
lows: 1=neck pickup; 2=neck and bridge pickup: 3=bridge pickup.The 5-way switch is used on many
Charvel guitars in both 3-pickup and some 2-pickup models. In a 3-pickup model, the switch is as fol-
lows: 1=neck; 2=neck and middle; 3=neck; 4=middle and bridge; 5=bridge.
BRIDGE
Charvel guitars use an assortment of bridge styles for various models. Here is a brief explanation of
each type we use.
1. Tunamatic: It has a simple height adjustment via mounting screws and intonation is adjusted by
screws at each bridge saddle. The strings can either run thru the body or are attached to a stop bar tailpiece.
2. Vintage Style Hardtail: String height adjustment is done by small allen screws on each side of the
individual saddles.Intonation is done by the screw mounting the saddles to the rear of the bridgeplate.
3. Vintage Style Tremolo: It is a very basic, 2 point fulcrum style with self centering saddles. This
bridge is designed to rest flat on the body meaning it is not a floating tremolo.
4. Vintage Style Floating Tremolo: This is an upgraded type of the Vintage Style tremolo. It can be
adjusted to; sit flat or float above the body.
5. Double Locking Tremolos: This is the most common type bridge and can be found on most of
our guitars. It is very simple to work with and work on with a little guidance and patience.
Note: For more information and technical tips and help, be sure to check out www.mrgearhead.com
RESTRINGING THE DOUBLE LOCKING TREM
1. Before loosening the strings, slip a small stack of business cards or a pencil under the bridge
plate to maintain string tension and keep the bridge parallel. NOTE: There are many products on the
market today that will assist in Floyd Rose
®
setups. Ask your local retailer for more info or check out
our website www.mrgearhead.com.
2. Loosen the locknut.
3. Loosen string at tuner.
4. Loosen string clamping screw at bridge.
5. Remove the strings from the guitar.
6. Cut the ball end off the new strings.
7. Insert the string between the clamping block and the saddle.
8. Tighten the screw to lock the string in place.Do not overtighten!
9. Insert string into tuner.
10. Tune to pitch, stretch string with thumb and fingers, retune and repeat several times until the
string will not detune.
11. Repeat this process for all strings before locking down the lock nut and fine tuning.
INTONATION
Be sure that all of the above adjustments were done prior to setting the intonation. First, make sure
the locknut is loosened. The object is to adjust the string length to ensure a true tonal response. This
is achieved by ringing the harmonic at the 12th fret and matching it to the fundamental note at the
12th. This should be done with an electronic tuner to get an accurate reading. If the note is sharp,
move the saddle back. If the note is flat, move the saddle forward. Remember the simple rule...flat
forward, sharp back. For more information please check out our website at www.mrgearhead.com
GENERAL CARE
These are a few guidelines to keep your new Charvel in top form. The body, neck and headstock
should be wiped clean with a clean soft cloth and a guitar polish after every use.Try not to get polish
directly on the hardware, this will only cause funk to build up and it will have to be cleaned as well.
The fingerboard should be cleaned everytime you change strings. There are many cleaners on the
market and most will dry the fingerboard (Most window cleaning products have ammonia in them and
will certainly dry the fingerboard dramatically) so be sure to oil the fingerboard after you clean it.
There are many great oils today made just for fingerboards so ask your local dealer for more informa-
tion. Don't let the board dry out, it will shrink and/or crack, causing the frets to raise up and become
unlevel and unplayable.
The hardware can be cleaned with a dry rag. If you have acidic perspiration or perspire excessively,
please keep the hardware well oiled or it will rust and corrode.There are several tips on cleaning and
maintaining your guitar on our website at www.mrgearhead.com
The Charvel you've chosen is a fine musical instrument and like any high quality product, care and
regular maintenance should be a priority to help your guitar or bass last a lifetime. Thank you for
choosing Charvel, we appreciate the opportunity to serve you.Please take a moment to fill out the
enclosed owner’s registration and return it to us so that we may learn to better serve your needs.
Also, be sure to read the care suggestions on the following page.For more help be sure to visit our
website at www.mrgearhead.com, thank you.
For your own records, in case of loss, theft, etc., please fill in the following information
and store it in a safe place.
MODEL:__________________________________________________________________________
COLOR:__________________________________________________________________________
SERIAL NUMBER:_________________________________________________________________
DEALER:________________________________________________________________________
PURCHASE DATE:________________________________________________________________
BATTERY REPLACEMENT
On all of our active circuits, 9 volt batteries are used to power-up. The systems feature the latest in IC
circuitry, with very low power requirement. The battery is switched on when a cord is inserted into the
input jack, so be sure to unplug the guitar/bass when not in use to avoid unnecessary power drain.
NOTE: Unless the instrument is equipped with a separate battery box, the battery is contained within
the electric control cavity.
CARE SUGGESTIONS
~ NEVER store your guitar/bass in a hot car trunk! The HEAT WILL CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE
to your instrument.
~Always clean your strings after every use.
~Change strings at least every 20 playing hours.
~Wipe down the guitar with a clean, soft cloth after every use to remove sweat, etc from building up.
~Clean and oil fingerboard everytime you change strings.
~Do not overtighten any of the screws on the instrument.In most cases snug is best.
~When traveling by air be sure to detune strings by 1 step.Have an agent check your guitar before
locking the case and tape the case closed to prevent tampering.
~ Adjustments may need to be performed when you move your instrument into or out of different
climates of altitude or humidity
SET UP
This is the one step that will determine the feel or "action" of your guitar. A few things should be
taken into consideration before setting the intonation. What type, brand and gauge strings are you
going to use? How high do you want the strings from the fretboard? How much spring tension do you
want (how high do you want the bridge to float)? These will need to be determined before you get
started.
1. Strings: Any variation will alter the overall action and intonation, so be sure to have to settle on,
and consistantly use a particular gauge and brand of string.
2. String Height: If your tremolo pivots on two mounting studs that go into the guitar body, an allen
wrench is used to raise or lower the bridge. If your bridge is a vintage style or a bass, there are two
allen wrench adjustments on each saddle that will raise and lower each string.Adjust it too high and
you lose tone and intonation, too low and the frets will buzz and the pickups will rattle…
not too cool huh.
3. Spring Tension: This adjustment is to set how high the tremolo is to float. The best setting, for
intonation’s sake is exactly parallel to the body.Heavier strings will need more tension, lighter strings
will need less. This will take quite a few retunings and a lot of patience. Need help? Check out our
Tech Tips at www.mrgearhead.com
FACTORY SPECS
The following are Charvel's factory string height settings.The specs are measured by the distance
between the bottom of the string and the top of the 12th fret. Please note that any problems that may
arise from lowering the string height below our factory specifications, will not be covered by the
Charvel warranty.
TREBLE SIDE BASS SIDE
Electric Guitar1.5mm 1.5mm
Charvel guitars come with the following string gauges:
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
6 String Guitar .009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042 N/A
PICKUP ADJUSTMENT
There are a few rules to follow on pickup adjustments; The pickup is adjusted by screws on either
side of the pickup housing. Set it too high and string buzzing may occur when playing in the upper
register of the neck. Too low and a loss of sustain and output is likely.Another is that humbuckers
need to be set level in order for for them to cancel out the hum properly.
NECK ADJUSTMENT
This adjustment is done first over any others and must be done for proper action, intonation and
fretting. This is done with strings tuned to pitch. Fret instrument at 1st fret and at body/neck joint.
The space between the top of the 8th fret and bottom of the string should be .020 or whatever you
are comfortable with. Neck adjustments should be done in 1/4 turn increments. This is not the proper
set up for everyone and your preferences may vary depending on your style.
FINE TUNING SCREWS
SADDLE
BASEPLATE
GUITAR BODY
SUSTAINBLOCK
INTONATION SCREWS
STRING LOCK SCREWS