Chaparral Custom with maple top

ArsPo

New member
Hello, gents.

I’ve got my eyes on this Chap. Seller claims it’s all original, but I believe it was heavily modified aftermarket. What do you think?
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That's a Californian, no? It seems suspiciously clean for a 40-year-old guitar. All the gold looks new. Most gold plating comes off if you just look at it too hard. The chrome on the pickups look out of place. And the guitars in the background are projects. Too many unknowns. I'd want my own eyeballs on it before shelling out what I'm sure is a fairly large pile of $$$.

Beautiful guitar. If it is what he says it is, it would be hard to resist.

 
That's a Californian, no? It seems suspiciously clean for a 40-year-old guitar. All the gold looks new. Most gold plating comes off if you just look at it too hard. The chrome on the pickups look out of place. And the guitars in the background are projects. Too many unknowns. I'd want my own eyeballs on it before shelling out what I'm sure is a fairly large pile of $$$.

Beautiful guitar. If it is what he says it is, it would be hard to resist.
I don’t think it is Californian based on pickup selector placement

 
Wouldn't that be a Centura, maybe just a Cantura body and a spare Hamer neck?
Centauras were all bolt-on necks.

Looks like a 24 fret setneck Chap - 87 would be about right for one those. Pickups look like OBLs (not totally sure about the bathtub around the humbucker) with an added tone control.  Ebony and boomerangs, and that flametop and matching headstock are plausible.  The thing throwing me off a little is the treble side cutaway, but that's kinda what it would look like if you asked for the Cali bevel on a flametop Chap.  If that was legit, it would have been pretty pricey with all those options/upgrades.

Hamer did make a lot of unicorns back in the day, even some that Peter hasn't owned lol. Looks cool to me...

 
I'm not sure - something seems off to me...

Sure, the Floyd, Tuners, knobs, all mounting screws (front and back) and switch tip have been switched, and the OBLs appear to be period-correct, but I am not sure about something that's really weird:  the 2 piece flame top on the mahogany body.  It's possible that it was an exceedingly rare custom order, but with something looking off with the logo shot that has the PRS and other Chap in the background being customized, I'm gonna say it was an '87 Chap that has been redone with a flame top and new parts.

Just my $0.02...

 
I'm sure I've seen that guitar for sale before years ago and it didn't sell - I reckon it shagged up old Chappy that was someones customisation project.

Someone who had an old Chap, and tried to make it as close to a Cali as possible - stick a yellow top on it, reroute for HC chamfer off the insides of the horns all that stuff. The neck joint is pure old Chappy

... and like Chris says - the guy is going to do it again on that taped up Chap behind god help us...

 
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I'm not sure - something seems off to me...

Sure, the Floyd, Tuners, knobs, all mounting screws (front and back) and switch tip have been switched, and the OBLs appear to be period-correct, but I am not sure about something that's really weird:  the 2 piece flame top on the mahogany body.  It's possible that it was an exceedingly rare custom order, but with something looking off with the logo shot that has the PRS and other Chap in the background being customized, I'm gonna say it was an '87 Chap that has been redone with a flame top and new parts.

Just my $0.02...
too bad there's no list of Ed Roman builds

 
That serial number photo shows that the back of the peghead was mucked with somehow.

Eddie Roman (Jr.) gots skills and guns.

ETA: Looks to be a Bill Lawrence pickup at the bridge (XL-500/550?). Not your typical Hamer factory original equipment.

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