Help ID this Hamer for me please

[DarkHammer]

I saw this Hamer and could not identify which model this is. Says Hamer USA on the head, SN impressed on the back of the head.

I can see some mods - added pickguard, changed pickguard/wiring/controls and Floyd Rose trem system.

I find offset dots a bit unusual.

Is this a Diablo or a Chap? Or something else?

Thanks!

[bruce919]

I saw it pop on reverb last weekend. I would take off the pickguard and see what's underneath. My guess it's a Vintage S Body (with some mods) with a Diablo neck.

Post picks of what's under the pickguard and then will know how it started off. It could be a custom order depending on what under the guard. The bridge and neck hardware do not match so that a giveaway. 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2025 by bruce919

[DarkHammer]

Thank you!

RE: hardware - it looks like lighter color Floyd Rose was put in.

RE: body - IMHO it's not Special S body, they are normally nice flamey tops, while this is just plain natural body.

[Steve Haynie]

Side dots say Chaparral neck or a custom order.  

Edit:  Uh, oh.  I meant Centaura, not Chaparral.  

Edited July 3, 2025 by Steve Haynie

[Stike]

It looks to me like somebody stripped the finish off a Centaura and added a pickguard.

[Biz Prof]

26 minutes ago, Stike said:

It looks to me like somebody stripped the finish off a Centaura and added a pickguard.

Exactly my thought.

[kizanski]

I like it in a Paul Dean kinda way.

[Bennyboy-UK]

4 hours ago, Stike said:

It looks to me like somebody stripped the finish off a Centaura and added a pickguard.

Poor thing...

[Biz Prof]

4 hours ago, kizanski said:

I like it in a Paul Dean kinda way.

That would be some mondo Hondo.

 

[stonge]

I'm pretty sure that's a stripped T-62 with a replaced pickguard. Those were a parallel model to the Vintage S, but were solid colors with pickguards and s/s/s pickups iirc. Someone else up here had 4 of them, and played mix-n-match with the necks and bodies.

Edited July 3, 2025 by stonge

[Dave Scepter]

What ever it is, I like it... I'd happily play that 👍

[ZR]

I vote centaura, stripped body and put pickguard on too.

[cmatthes]

10 hours ago, kizanski said:

I like it in a Paul Dean kinda way.

[holLoWskull]

I’ll venture a guess it’s a 92’ - 95’ (or I guess it technically could have been made right up until Hamer left Arlington Heights and headed east if custom ordered?) Centaura, original finish, but aftermarket pick guard and pickup.  IIRC that was the timeframe when Hamer switched from an alder body to an ash body in the Centaura (and switched from

the passive “boost” circuit via mini toggle to a 9V powered active circuit with trimpot accessed via the metal control cavity plate. 
 

EDIT:  obviously the switch was removed with the pickguard install OR perhaps the pickguard was  a custom order and no switch was there to begin with?  Unlikely, but Hamer did some cool one off (or rare) specs back in the day.

Edited July 4, 2025 by holLoWskull
Added additional edit

[DarkHammer]

I talked to the seller and he's the original owner.

He says that finishing is original. It started as SSH pickup configuration. He's not sure of the model, but thinks it may have been a Centaura.

SN is 22XXXX

Edited July 5, 2025 by DarkHammer

[Stike]

3 hours ago, DarkHammer said:

I talked to the seller and he's the original owner.

He says that finishing is original. It started as SSH pickup configuration. He's not sure of the model, but thinks it may have been a Centaura.

SN is 22XXXX

Looking at the 24 frets and offset dot markers I'm 99.9% certain it's a Centaura.

[Biz Prof]

I'm 99.99% it is a Centaura, as well.

[DarkHammer]

I think this guitar started as this (1992 Catalogue):

 

Edited July 11, 2025 by DarkHammer