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Fairly New Hamer USA owner '88 Californian Custom


1foggy

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To the usual suspects: Wow, nobody called dibs or made the traditional HFC offer? You guys all asleep or something? 

To the new guy: Congrats on the awesome guitar! I'm curious to know how it sounds. Any YouTube videos planned? 

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Hey FGJ!    Although I've had it since December I've not ran it through my main rig yet, so I'm not sure how it sounds through the Marshall.  I've played it through my small tube tweed a couple of times just to mess around with it, but have mostly been playing it unplugged.  My main rig doesn't have my effects looped into it and some of it got moved/put aside because our house is in a state of flux (remodel).   Long-term I should have my own room (man cave) once we get the house completed and move stuff into separate rooms.  Once I get this guitar back together I might have to start working on putting the rig back together.  But yeah, sadly (almost criminally) I'm not sure how this sounds through a full cab yet lol.

 

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Looks like the OBL's are German made.  Good thing?  Bad thing?  Doesn't matter?  Always thought OBD's were U.S. pickups, not that I mind them being made in Germany at all...

Excuse the dust, this is part of the disassembly to clean this sucker out and give it a thorough cleaning...

 

Hamer OBL.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

everything about your guitar screams "original". Hamer used OBLs quite a bit, and unless it was a special flamed maple body, Californian bodies were mahogany. The pickup configuration and layout is completely unique however. You've scored the ultimate prize - a "weird" Hamer that left the factory in that "weird" state!

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Bill Lawrence started his career in Germany in the 50's as a jazz and session guitarist. He was born in Germany as Willi Lorenz Stich. German guitar maker Framus (there is a connection to Warwick) made a "Billy Lorento" model. He worked for several companies, including Gibson and Fender. I think the pickups of the Gibson S-1, Marauder and G-3 Grabber bass were his designs as well as the Gibson L6S. Also Fender's SCN Noiseless pickups were his designs. I think he was the first one to use blade magnets on pickups. I remember in the early/mid-80's, the OBL pickups were highly regarded in Germany. I bought one L500 OBL humbucker and put it in a Kramer Focus 3000. They are great pickups. Hamer didn't use them for long. Bill Lawrence rejoined Gibson in the late 80's and when he left them again, they still used his "OBL" designs for the Epiphone line. But they stopped making pickups in Germany and relocated to USA, which is a bit confusing, as there is another Bill Lawrence pickup company (his first company, he sold that company, and the name too) there.

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After you've seen all the possible Cali's, the excitement is kinda gone, but then there is this one,  like a splash of an ice cold water in your face. Nice entrance foggy, with the "bang" I'd say. She is  beautiful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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