DarrenD

I own the Rand website (haven't had time to finish it off) and have a few Rands myself. I have never seen this one show up, so it's rather interesting. In essence, it looks like the "Witch" style Rand but with the regular Rand style headstock seen on the superstrat versions. The sculpting and horns are shaped different and are wider than the standard Witch Rand. Rand put the serial numbers under the top Floyd cavity - curious to see if there is one. Also interested to see when this was actually completed. The Rands pre-date the Calis of course, and I always had a gut feeling that the Rands influenced the Calis. If this piece truly was collaborated with Jol, that's an interesting connection. Curious to find out more on this one.

The sustainiac works good - I had suspicions because it's 24.75 and it's suppose to be spaced out further from the bridge pickup, but it does everything well - the harmonics and everything. It sounds better than I thought as a neck pickup. I'm not sure what the middle pickup is. I agree that it's a strange redo. Whoever had it put in a great deal of work, money, and effort with the finish and custom sustainiac install....just to let it go (at a cheap price I might add). Either way, this obscurity is now mine and I'm happy with it

Looks like a refinish (and a professional one) that probably had the headstock broken at one point. The floyd is aftermarket and the sustainiac is a newer version (post 2007). Whoever did the refinish put a lot of work into it, but for some reason the "usa" symbol isn't showing when they put on a new decal. Everything is setup perfectly. The floyd is also blocked - whoever modified this guitar did everything I would do for playing live. It came with a heavily beat-up original case. I must honestly say that this is the best guitar I've ever played. I wasn't expecting this, and it will probably replace my Cali elite as my #1. It's also my first 24.75 and set-neck guitar. Anybody know the exact the year of the guitar? The serial # is covered up by the refinish. Cheers,

I agree - a refinish and stadium logo in the future. Thanks for the recommendations. I'll probably just do the logo for the time being - in black. It will probably take me years to actually go forth with the full refinish Btw, It's the first bass I've had with active EMG pickups in - really digging it.

Thanks for the info. I never noticed the modified cutaway scallops. I plan on putting a black Hamer decal on it down the road.

This is the first "good" non-octave bass I've ever purchased. Sad that it is stripped down and such, but it is a pretty nice condition otherwise. The Kahler bridge is insane and awesome - I assume modified a long time ago. This bass plays so damn smooth. It survived shipping through -60 degree weather in WI without any damage. Serial is 821703, which I guess makes it a 1988. The B string has a Schaller tuner - was it converted from a 4 string? The guy I bought it from said it used to belong to Weezer bassist Matt Sharp, but he had no way to confirm it. Cheers,

I bought maybe 20+ used guitars over the years, and only one actually had the OHSC. I always wondered what happened to them, but I suppose some stores sell the OHSC separately, and many times people swap this for that.

Maverick Music had it and sold it to someone possibly not on these forums.

The old GA1 sustainiac systems on the Hamers require two batteries, and the EMGs will require another - so you're looking at three total. You should be able to fit the 3rd in the regular cavity. If you have the dough, the newer sustainiac systems are more efficient and powerful - yet only require one battery instead of two (like the older ones). Also, I recommend the newer rechareable lithium ion 9 volts for these situations. They last around 4-5x longer with one charge.

You guys are very good. It reminds of the older school british metal with an extra modern edge. Not exactly my cup of tea, but there's no doubt you guys have talent. Great guitar and bass work. Overall just great technicality.

There doesn't seem to be many actives on the market when compared to passives, so I don't know how much variation they can have. Regardless, I like the EMG85 over 81 - don't know why. Never tried the blackouts. They are very different in their own sense. I tend to enjoy a mod such as mid-boost when I install active pickups. They are very smooth and crystal clear. They work very well with effects, as others have mentioned. Vintage purists seem to hate them with a passion - with a few exceptions of course. I almost seen a bar fight happen with a PAF fanatic and another guy who put EMGs in a telecaster. They work very well in some applications. Everything is about personal preference anyway. Tough to tell unless you try them out yourself. Get those new luthium ion rechargeable 9 volts and they last forever. 18v gives a more open sound.

What's the approximate build time?

I hear Gibson was the top 5 worst place to work in the US last year. I'm sure it was an interesting time. Keep us updated on your new projects!

Oops. It's fixed now.