Interview With Mike Eldred Part One: Early Days Of Charvel

The Music Zoo's Tommy Colletti sat down with Fender Custom Shop Manager Mike Eldred to talk about the Charvel company. In this video Mike talks about his experiences working with Grover Jackson at Charvel in the early 1980s.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

Mike is the guy who shaped the neck profile i love about charvels. Very shallow C and wide fits like a glove!

[@chrisk3754]

What a life to hang out with all of those superstars must’ve been So much fun

[@TEMPTBand]

"A guy named Nitebob"...you mean a LEGEND!

[@frankrichards3089]

Who was Nitebob? LA guitar player I guess?

[@takmagic777]

Thanks Tommy, I could listen to you guys talk all day!

[@josephgatlin]

I totally love this interview with M.Eldred...! its intrigueing to hear a interview with the individual who shaped your first professional guitarneck ..mine being a 1980 charvel deep black cherry maple neck that looked dark cherry in light and black at certain angkes with a single dimarzio super distortion humbucker with a strat headstock with a bone nut. It cost me $950.00 at The now closed historic Guitar Center on main st in old Santa Ana, CA. A music center that every star metal guitarist over 35yrs old would remember...If I ever meet Mike I would love to have a pitcher of beer with him and talk the good old days...Keep shredding \m/ Joe Gatlin

[@groathorror]

That Star is... pure sex!

[@scottdunn2178]

Fun Fact: Charvel was originally a furniture maker... which is where the pin routers, etc. they used on the early guitars came from. 🎸

[@joszefrviz398]

Does anyone know who came up with the star shape design?

[@deandee8082]

old school Charvels ROCK! I have 10 or so, too bad they didn't sell the brand to Japan instead of its current parent, they suck and Japan went far and above anything anyone suspected for the time.. so many are still holding up so well today... I have a MINT model 3, fiesta red, kahler 2300, and it LOOKS LIKE NEW!!! even the trem bar looks brand new it has the painted brass tip, or anodized? it's like a clear black? like the black chrome I guess, its brand new, from 1885!!!!! I kid you not even have the original HSC, a charvel tweed and its immaculate as well.. picked it up a few years ago I think the owner had an issue with the input jack, that plastic style, he prolly tugged on the cable, it broke some plastic and would not put out sound.... it went back in the case and int eh closet till 2 years ago, CRAZY, he played it a week if that.. not scratch, it looks brand new, its crazy really is... I repaired it, simple, feels plays and sounds like nobody's business... like someone had a time a machine and went and got one.. so crazy, the case is like brand new I kid you not... needless to say I am not touching it all, why i dunno scared to I guess? you folks made some mad guitars, so did Japan, too bad that had to end...

[@johnadams2063]

They created the super strat I believe.. they where the guys who made them cool.. umbuckers in a strat body all that stuff.. so cool. Locking nut all the hot rod stuff.. ha!! So cool man

[@frankrichards3089]

Is the guitar for EVH the Bumblebee I assume?

[@GazMoz78]

They keep talking about Grover Jackson but I thought it was Wayne Charvel who started the brand?

[@62SG]

Wayne Charvel started the brand but he had already sold it to Grover Jackson when Charvel guitars really became a thing. Before that it was a distributor for bodies and other parts. The biggest move Wayne Charvel made in developing the brand is selling it to Grover Jackson. Beyond that, nothing more than the name.

[@michaelwoods9005]

James Fielding Yep. Wayne Charvel had virtually nothing to do with Charvel Guitars as they are known.

[@jaygiordano9489]

Wayne had nothing to do with the brand, other than being responsible for the flatter radius necks, putting a Humbucker in a strat, use of exotic woods for bodies and necks, brass hardware etc. and hiring an anvil guitar case salesman for administrative work and teaching him guitar building techniques such as how to use his templates and tooling an Oxnard pin routers. other than that Wayne had nothing to do with his namesake co.🤓🎶🎸

[@michaelwoods9005]

@@jaygiordano9489 wrong. Wayne Charvel never made a neck or body in-house before selling to Grover. He *assembled* some guitars from other manufacturers parts, but he never made a "Charvel" branded guitar. That was all Grover Jackson.

[@jaygiordano9489]

@@michaelwoods9005 they were branded Boogie Bodies. And he did , I know the charvels, Lynn Ellsworth, Tom Anderson, Ken Warmoth list goes on. I researched it years ago. That being said, Grover was an Anvil case salesman when he got with Wayne charvel.

[@chrishughes4239]

I thought Eddie had a boogie body by Lynn Elsworth

[@waterwoodguitars6871]

chris hughes boogie provided bodies to Charvel.

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

The neck was a Lynn ellsworth but the body was a charvel. It was a second and had flaws.

[@scottdunn2178]

@@These_go_to_eleven_1959 Yes, it was a Swamp Ash body that had a knot in it... he paid $50 for the body, and $80 for the neck (which actually was a lot of money in 1978). Regards 🎸

[@johnadams2063]

I just love old school charvel guitars!! They where so cool. Still are in fact.. but in the day they where the stone cold shit. Revolutionary for the time. They where one of the first to put floyed rose trems on em too . Maybe the first..

[@deandee8082]

no no no, they all did it at the same time, soon as they came out everybody had em, washburn, kramer, hamer, jackson, charvel, bc rich, you name it..

[@maxmustardman298]

Kramer were the first to put floyds on their factory models, maybe charvel did that if customers wanted it

[@scottdunn2178]

Sometimes it's good to have green nuts...

[@5150zombie]

gary moore, rip.

[@deandee8082]

also, green is glass phenolic, brown is canvas... jest sayin

[@dclxvi4963]

music who?

[@JohnnyMrHattersmith]

DCLXVI I believe he said Music Man.

[@darrenlay3198]

You guys have totally missed the boat on charbel guitars. Wayne Charvel was the guru Grover Jackson ruined the company this is total BS

[@benben-sl7hi]

Wayne Charvel went bankrupt. Grover was there to pick up the pieces. Wayne should be thanking him he kept the name.