NGD - Cavalier!!!

Here's one you don't see every day! This one actually arrived over a week ago, but I just got the chance to take photos in decent light.





This is the first Clear Red finish I've seen on a G&L. Unlike my Clear Blue El Toro, the grain on this guitar isn't obvious unless I get it under bright light. Indoors, the finish seems darker than in these photos. The best description would probably be blood red.

For those who aren't familiar, the Cavalier was part of the G&L line in the mid-80s. The body is similar to the 'Hawk models, but the offset pickups were only used in the Cavalier and some X-body Interceptors. As with any of Leo's humbuckers, they are pretty bright sounding. Not shrill, but bright. When I did quick A/B with an '86 ASAT, my perception was that the Cav is a bit fuller sounding on all settings, with slightly more bottom end as well as in the highs.







This is the "E" version with active circuitry. I understand that few of these were made. The pre-amp changes the impedence, but doesn't boost the signal. I haven't installed a battery, so I haven't tried that myself.



The neck is from May '84 and the body is from April '83. If I'm not mistaken, Cavalier production started in May or June of '83, so this must have been one of the first bodies made. I remember some discussion on another recent thread about big differences in body and neck dates. This is one of them!

Ken

Great find Ken. I suspect that the paint is not a clear Red but more like a translucent used on the Blondes. They show grain but it is subtle.-- Darwin

!!!

I was waiting for this thread wondering what you found...great score.

!!!

I was waiting for this thread wondering what you found...great score.

+1! Great find!

thats badd azzz !!

Red guitars are faster

Nice one Ken! I would love to hear those pickups in person someday. Enjoy!

Scott

Congrats, that's one hell of fine guitar, and I wished G&L put these pups back into production.

I especially dig the aircraft console style control plate on those old axes with its "Hey, I'm NOT a toy!" message.

Great find Ken. I suspect that the paint is not a clear Red but more like a translucent used on the Blondes. They show grain but it is subtle.-- Darwin

No. That's clear red all day long. Clear red is the absolute most difficult color to photograph and get the grain to show well.

I wished G&L put these pups back into production.

+1. The more I play this, the more I like the sound - especially on the neck pickup. George Fullerton said that he couldn't understand why this model never caught on. Neither can I.

Great find Ken. I suspect that the paint is not a clear Red but more like a translucent used on the Blondes. They show grain but it is subtle.-- Darwin

No. That's clear red all day long. Clear red is the absolute most difficult color to photograph and get the grain to show well.

The grain is really obvious on the back and sides, but not so much on the front. She's in the case now, but next time I play her I will take a look at the grain itself. It might just not be prominent on the front.

Ken

Ken,
The color on your Cavalier does not look like the typical red that was used for clear finishes. It looks like we might have been experimenting with Rampage Red. That red was used over a white base in order for it to have the brightness that the Rampages had. The color was semi transparent so no matter how much you put on, it would not become opaque. That is why the grain still shows through and it has an almost violet cast to it in the right light. Of course, I am looking at a picture so that is just a guess.
Fred

Looking at it again tonight under artificial lighting, I can definitely see plenty of grain on the front and the back. It seems more obvious for some reason when I look from the end of the guitar up toward the bridge. Looking down the body (if I'm holding it by the neck with the headstock pointing toward the ceiling), it seems much more opaque. I'll try to get some pics of this next time I'm home on a sunny day. That probably won't be 'til the weekend though.

Ken

I believe I have actually hit a milestone in my life! Unless this post fails, I have successfully managed to post a picture in this thread! Anyway, The reason I posted it was to show you a picture of a proto that has a pup similar to what ended up in the Cavaliers. Ignore the paint job, I was fooling around with an idea I had back then because this proto was only sealed like so many others that were meant to be test played only. I figured it could always be put back to original sealer if I got tired of the look. This is what generic products looked like back when they first appeared in So.Cal. Dale saw it and thought it was great. The covers were redrilled by George to accept the coil configurations.
Fred

Here's some examples of how the clear red photographs. These are on an ash body.

Not much grain showing here



Now with grain showing.

Here's some examples of how the clear red photographs. These are on an ash body.

Not much grain showing here



Now with grain showing.

Hey Mark, that Tribute Invader XL body is Mahogany not Swamp Ash, though.

BTW, nice to see ya hanging around these parts again.