CM Marvel- any guesses?

[Ande]

Hi all, and thanks for a great informative forum.

I've had this guitar for two years, but just found this forum. I wonder if any of you know anything about it?

It's a smallish bodied neck through guitar with a strat length scale, 24 frets. The headstock says CM Marvel.



Floyd Rose Licensed Bridge, which sort of limits the age it can be. It's an odd Floyd Rose, though- instead of cutting the ball ends off the strings, and locking them in, you just feed them through the locking pins, which are hollow.



I purchased this guitar in south Korea, 2008. Since then, I've looked around, and found out next to nothing about it, so I'm wondering-

How old is it? Where was it (probably) made? Are there many others out there?

All I've found:

The marvel name has sometimes been associated with Harmony, though I couldn't find anything vaguely similar to this in their catalogues.

The name sometimes comes up in association with Sorkin music. But as far as I can tell, they stopped trading around the time that the Floyd rose was invented.

I got this one in Korea, but investigating I found one person who has a similar one, in Philadelphia. You can read that interaction here: (And his pics are better than mine. Clearly much the same guitar , though.)

Opening it up, practically nothing is labeled. THe pots say "500" and the pickups have no writing on the inside. (they say "marvel" on the outside) Wiring looks old-ish, thick copper unbraided wire, plastic coated.

Excellent condition, only minor cosmetic wear, plays and sounds great. Minor damage to the finish on the headstock, probably from sun exposure. (It was in the shop window when I rescued it.) It seems newer than I think it really is, but the shop had had it for years...really hard to say.

Anybody know anything about my baby?


All the best,
Ande

[Bassassin]

Never seen this guitar before - but the design is "borrowed" from the Warwick Thumb bass:



Not sure if it qualifies as a copy, as Warwick don't make guitars!

Construction-wise, it looks identical to a Korean-made Peavey C5 bass I have, right down to the headstock & body veneers - of course this might simply be a coincidence.

Jon.

[mrblanche]

Just a shot in the dark, but my Cort base has the same body shape, and Cort has a large presence in Korea, doesn't it? Big factory?

[Ande]

Thanks guys-

I've always figured made in Korea or Japan, just cause I bought it in Korea, and Japan is next door.

Several people have commented that, at a glance, it looks more like a bass than an guitar. (Neck through, long neck on proportionalls smaller body)

I'm wondering if it's not just one thing- possibly a body made for some guitar name, then not used, refitted...no clear history on this one. It looks "like" a Cort, but isn't anything Cort ever put out. It looks a lot like the thumb bass, except of course that it isn't a bass.

The long cutaway horn on top makes the balance about perfect, even though it's a heavy little devil for such a small guitar body.

I'll be around the forums if anybody has any leads. The guitar isn't going anywhere, in any case...


Best,