BillW

Yes. It has been ~ 9 yrs for me. 9.5s all day. Almost every single guitar

Well sh!t...that sucks. He goes way back on this board ... RIP, brother

'89 had the hockey stick HS? Or the Cali style?

I didnt notice the Trem on the middle one either ... is that a Kahler? that seems a bit unusual, maybe I'm wrong. In fact, now that I look closer - the only one that looks likely to be factory would be the top one. But others are more knowledgeable ... - Bill

I mean, the pickups dont all look factory ( some of them, anyways). the OBL Blades/HBs were available from the factory( I got some on mine), but some of those pix just...they look different to me. Most everything else looks pretty standard fom 86 - 87. The Hocky Stick headstock went away in ...88? I think? So, all those above are from 86-87 I imagine. The 3 toggle switches went away in mid 87 I think. so the top one is probably 87? so middle is probably 86? and the bottom one ..well that single toggle switch is something I'm not familiar with, but the face/recessed output jack makes me think ...86? the knob position is weird on that one also ... - Bill

so, in my best Butthead voice: " uhhh.... this is the coolest thing I've like ...ever heard...uhhhhhuuhhhhh" Seriously - that was friggin awesome! Thanks, Kiz- made my day! - Bill

Try out a SV-20 Head? seriously? I mean just sayin? I heard they're near spot on and can reduce to 5 watts or 1 watt even...

subtle sneak-in there, md9255...welcome to the board! - please feel free to 'share your wares', we love guitar porn (or is it pron?) especially the Hamer variety. I played a nice Eclipse at the 4-3-2-1 club one night ( I think it belonged to Bloozguy?) I didn't hear it plugged in but it was setup perfectly and played like a dream (surprisingly resonant too) Some day maybe I'll pick one up, they've always intrigued me.

yeah - this is totally new for me too - where do you live?

My fave are short scale, set neck Chaps (particularly those with the 5 way as opposed to the toggle switches). I like the playability of of the Phantom A5 (as well as the tone versatility) but for pure 'shredder' - I like the early-mid Chaps. Bolt-on Cali's do have good shredder necks for playability though

Why don't I use a cappo more? I mean, I used to think it was like ...cheating...but now hmmmm...pretty cool device!

I know EVH ..well..over did them for the most part... but I love the one he does in Panama right after the break from the drum/intro (after the C#minor)

Still in the hunt - and most likely will be

gotta go with amplifier dirt for me

"I'm looking for suggestions for other 24 fret shred-ish type guitars I should consider, with the Suhr Modern as the comparison. For under $1k. Any Hamers fit the bill?" so.... there's the: Centaura Diablo (I & II) Chaparral Californian (although it has 27 frets) if you're looking for a bolt-on any of the above (depending on year) would work. If you're looking for set neck you're looking at mostly earlier Chaps and some Calis. As for how close to a Suhr Modern - I couldn't answer that

I cannot vote. I love them all in their own way. My 87 Chap is my favorite guitar, has been since I bought it. But I have played Soloists that were, IMO, at least it's equal in terms of playability.

Looks like I am a go for being there 'til ten

Shred - see above - I will try and attend both, looks like 4321 first, then I haul to the Rhino gig

no words... sorry, man

man - if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck. I've missed (to my significant, sincere regret) the last 3 or so gatherings - I'm starting to feel cursed. I am supposed to attend this that night: https://www.facebook.com/events/1397745280460635/ (I'm one of the featured "members past") not sure - maybe I can work 'em both somehow....

I've played a couple. I thought the necks were awesome, actually, very easy to play. Can't really comment on the sounds as it takes a while to really 'hear' what a guitar can sound like through various rigs etc...but I recall they didn't sound unusable to me

Did seem slow to me - some days significantly. Also - it does seem much, much better today

that is...a possibility

wow...touching.... Thanks for the thoughts guys! (oh - and I love the puns ...keep 'em coming...I stopped by work briefly on Friday and they pasted my office with cartoons about chainsaw accidents...hilarious stuff) I am doing much better. Had a secondary infection (they didn't perscribe the ABs long enough it seems...) but everything is under control now . I can almost put weight on it - but I have some time and possible PT before I can walk normally again. I do have pix - they don't really do the wound justice (took them a couple days ago, so it's been 'healing' for a week) - but you'd get the idea. I'll send some to Bruce in case he wants to post them here. thanks again for the kind thoughts, all!!

Bill Wright BillW 'nuff said