Andrew

The Floyd-fitted Sunbursts (both Archtop or flat-top) differed in having a maple neck and a slightly altered neck angle to accommodate the back-rout for pull-ups. These were short-lived, early nineties only (and '89 flat-tops). Just to stir the pot, the Wilkinson wrap-around is probably the worst hardware item Hamer ever used, as found on Studios 86-87.

There is no difference between: Sunburst Archtop (with crowns, but some do have dots) 1991-1993. Sunburst logo on most; it superseded the traditional flat-top model. Archtop Custom 1993-1997. Archtop Studio is unbound, dots and some have wrap-around bridges. No name below Hamer logo. Studio Custom 1998-2012. The latest ones from the noughties have Victory markers. Studio is the unbound/dot version. "Studio" usually on TRC. Same guitar, different names!

Two vols, one tone. Pots are 500Kohm, log taper; although HAMER labelled, they are exactly the same as DiMarzio's pots. The capacitor is a small, yellow cylinder-type, and 0.01MFD (µF). That's in an early '83 Cruise, although I sure the same is in 82s. Hope that helps.

They were made in-house from black/white two-ply, the same material as the scratch-plate (if black), with a bevelled edge and an oval cut-out for the strings to pass through. Don't know if they still have it, but Chandler guitars used to have the correct plastic laminate. Easy enough to make.

All Phantoms went 6-in-line early in 1984. The first one might have been 1983, but that was made for Glenn Tipton, originally with a sustain-block trem.but later modified to a Kahler. An early 1984 6-in-line (4 10XXX) was blue/black zulu, single pickup with no scratch-plate, Kahler, and a "Phantom" logo under the HAMER USA.

My impression has always been they're floated between two clear coats, but I'll agree they're often nearer the surface than to the colour coats.

KK's Shropshire golf complex went bust.

The finish is Day-Glo Zulu. Clown puke… same colours, no black, different pattern:

Definitely Red Snakeskin and NOT Red Dragonskin. Dragonskin has rounder, more irregular "scales". The overall pattern is also more random.

Not that Ian Anderson?

Could be an alder body. The contemporary Californian Deluxe is alder bodied, as is the Centaura. See here: https://www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/hamer/92pics.htm https://www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/hamer/92price.htm

Great guitars. Too many were routed out for bridge humbuckers, but a new scratchplate hides the vandalism. They were made (about 20) for a German distributor, but they pulled out and Prosound in Koblenz (Peter Wolf) took the majority. Whether they are collectable enough to justify that price? I don't know.

You are correct. However, the buggers used up old bits around the factory so later shorter scale fixed-neck Chaps, 22-fret Steve Steve Stevens and other anachronisms are common enough. The easiest way, without a measure, is to check the space between the bottom of the body and the trem.. On shorter scale chaps this space is longer. The guitar looks a little slimmer as a result, a trompe-l'oeil. The Floyd back-rout is not found on all longer scale fixed-neck Chaps. The earlier ones don't have it. The fixed-neck Chaparral with the "banana" headstock continued into the nineties, but I've not seen one after about '91.

I like stories with happy endings.

There are always exceptions, but 70s and 80s (and probably 90s too) use Indian Rosewood. Not much Brazilian left by then. I think later, in the noughties, some historical Brazilian Rosewood became available. But still very much on a minority of guitars.