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1982 Charvel 'Employee Guitar' Built by Todd Krause

Charvel ยท #2093
BrandCharvel
TypeElectric Guitars
Serial No.2093
PhotographyActual Photos
Archive ID63134
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The Story

1982 'Employee Guitar' Built by Todd Krause

This is a very special Charvel that's a great part of guitar culture and history! This is a piece built in 1982 by Todd Krause - most famously known as a Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder resposible for the instruments built for legends such as Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. As he got his start as a luthier, Todd worked for Grover Jackson at Charvel beginning in 1981. As stated in the included letter of authenticity - Charvel employees were allowed to buy the raw materials and build their own personal guitars.

Todd went with a transparent cherry finish over a solid birdseye maple body with a matching birdseye maple neck and ebony fretboard. Even though you would think the guitar would come in over 10 lbs with a birdseye maple body, this one is still reasonable at 9 lbs 11 oz! We dig that he went with a gloss finish for the maple neck, which is something you don't see on Charvels all too often, and there's a bit of a wider nut width that Todd chose to accommodate his hand size. The guitar has three single-coil pickups with their own on/off toggle switch - again, a very '80s spec! A special note on this one in the letter is that fellow Charvel employee and future Gretsch Masterbuilder Stephen Stern did the final assembly and setup on the guitar!

The guitar has players wear including lacquer checking and light dings around the body, no wear to the neck. It includes a hardshell case, the authenticity letter signed by Todd, and a nice little accessory - a Robin Trower cassette tape from Todds personal collection.

Includes: Original Hardshell Case, Letter of Authenticity, Trem Arm, Robin Trower Cassette

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The Specifications

As it left The Music Zoo Tech Bench.
  • Solidbody Electric Guitar
  • Birdseye Maple Body and Neck
  • Ebony Fingerboard with Dot Inlays
  • 25.5" Scale Length
  • 42mm Nut Width, 10" Fretboard Radius
  • Single-Coil Pickups with Copper Shielding
  • Master Volume and Tone Controls, On/Off Toggle Switches Per Pickup
  • Brass Tremolo Bridge
  • 9 lbs, 11 oz.
  • .800" Neck Profile at 1st Fret
  • .850" Neck Profile at 12th Fret

Brand Spotlight

The Charvel story, from The Music Zoo.