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!!! Jackson Soloist vs. Hamer Californian !!!


Feynman

What do you think of when you think Super-Strat?  

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What is the biggest difference in a Diablo vs Centaura? And what year did they 1st come to market?

Hamer Guitars, A-M

Thanks. I should have remembered where that was. So these two guitars have similarities. Do you know how much they were new around 94? I am going to get a Diablo, but if a good priced Centaura comes along, maybe I should consider that. I like the Diablo's JB TB-4 and HS-2 (DiMartini to Malsteen). Never had EMG pup's.

What price range were these guitars in? The upper end imports, like the Charvel Model 7 and the BC Rich Gunslinger? I know they were a few hundred $'s less than the Cali and Chaparral, but they are great blues and metal guitars. I've have seen the Diablo against top models from other companies and it has a nice chunky, Hamer tone. Just have to wonder if they had been produced in the mid 80's........I think they would be have been the golden egg.

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Andrew's site has a 92 price list here:

http://www.buddlejagarden.co.uk/hamer/92price.htm

$800 for the Diablo, $1500+ for the Centaura, and $1700+ for the Cali.

An $800 Diablo would have been a huge hit in 1986-1992. Hamer would have had an affordable high quality guitar for the struggling musician. A quality affordable guitar with the Hamer logo that is usually advertised by pro's with the higher end guitars. Lynch with ESP, Eddie with Kramer, and Jake E. Lee with Charvel. I would have paid $800 for one.

I also wondered why the Hamer kind of disappeared from the scene after the 1st wave of British Heavy Metal. I say, if you are going to make $1500 Superstrats, why did they choose not to promote them in this way?

I would take my 76 Swamp Ash strat over a Jackson or Hamer. If I want a Superstrat meant with a lot of effects, give me a Alder bodied Diablo (with maple fret).

Just wanted to add that I know that Hamer is much more diverse than the other companies mentioned,like ESP and Jackson/Charvel. Just that they Diablo stomps all of the MIJ Charvel higher models from 86-89. Centaura was in a higher price range.

Is the Centaura twice as good as the Diablo, or did the prices just come down from competition.

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@Crimsontider,

Interesting what you noted about the Cali sounding more like May's guitar than EVH's. I've noticed if I set my eq sliders in that horseshoe shape (camel hump in the middle) to give it that mid-boost, it sounds exactly like May's guitar (obviously the whole signal chain plays a part as well, but it was setting the eq in that way which did it. It was purely by accident, because I never thought I could ever get his tone even if I tried. I really just stumbled on it by a fluke).

However, if you tweak the eq sliders differently, you can approximate Ed's tone as well. You just have to preserve as many mids as possible while dialing out some of that quacky, half-cocked wah tone. It's there; you just have to play with it until you find it. But even Eddie's tone (depending on album or era) has some of that mid, half-cocked wah tone to it at times. It's not so extreme as to sound like May's guitar, but it's noticeable...

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@Crimsontider,

Interesting what you noted about the Cali sounding more like May's guitar than EVH's. I've noticed if I set my eq sliders in that horseshoe shape (camel hump in the middle) to give it that mid-boost, it sounds exactly like May's guitar (obviously the whole signal chain plays a part as well, but it was setting the eq in that way which did it. It was purely by accident, because I never thought I could ever get his tone even if I tried. I really just stumbled on it by a fluke).

However, if you tweak the eq sliders differently, you can approximate Ed's tone as well. You just have to preserve as many mids as possible while dialing out some of that quacky, half-cocked wah tone. It's there; you just have to play with it until you find it. But even Eddie's tone (depending on album or era) has some of that mid, half-cocked wah tone to it at times. It's not so extreme as to sound like May's guitar, but it's noticeable...

I love May's guitar tone. That guitar is going to fetch $1,000,000 after he's gone if two people want it bad enough. Seems like it was made from an old oak antique something another and is partially hollow bodied? What a genius creation, oak and the body construction to loosen it up. And it really sticks out in a mix, which is perfect for queen. Maybe oak shares something with Mahogany in tone. I could be crazy and processing above my capabilities, but Honduras Mahogany can give off a faint violin undertone imo. And like with May, the leads really can stand out in a mix.

But then again, I could be insane.....or worse,stupid? :)

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Has this discussion really been going on for 5 years?

A maple neck thru guitar with poplar or alder body wings is a completely different animal than a bolt on mahogany body guitar.

The neck thru recipe gives you lots of sustain, harmonics, and upper mids that cut through, especially when combined with an ebony fretboard.

I think Hamer struck a great balance with the Californian. As a Californian owner, I can attest to the fact that the harmonics are there, courtesy I expect of the maple neck and ebony board. But the lower midrange chunk is there courtesy of the mahogany body, making single notes sound fatter, and taking the chunk up a few notches when playing chords.

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Wake up!

I believe the Cali sounds better if you strip all the metal boxes and can actually hear the guitar personality. The soloist might sound better for a particular metal setup but the cali is much more versatile with the Mahogany.

Thank you internet.

I have one pawn shop in my town.

Breakdown

80% cheap strat clones,including Fender's own "Strat'

10% Cardboard Acoustics

5% Cheap Ibanez

4.9% Cheapest Kramer, BC Rich(Warlock), Epiphone.

.1% Upper mid range guitars where the owner gives a EBAY seller a phone call when they come in.

Never seen a ESP, Hamer, Jackson, Charvel, Vintage Fender, Gibson.

Luckily we have an old store/guitar lesson spot that sells on consignment. Found my Mahogany Slammer Series for $110. They get in good guitars but most are overpriced. They thought my guitar was a Slammer by Hamer. I told them that I will pay cash on the spot for any Hamer or Jackson if it doesn't sell in a couple of weeks. This was three years ago! Right now, I can not honor this until my son graduates college next spring but a buddy has an Aztec Gold Diablo that he has saved for me for $350. Will never need another guitar.

I sold a 1976 natural wood swamp ash with a maple neck and fret, stratoblaster installed Fender Stratocaster for $250 for beer money in the Army in 1988. I will never again own a guitar so beloved. Purchased from an Atlanta Guitar center over the phone at 16. Did not know what I had until I purchased another guitar.post-51619-0-44764200-1397427115_thumb.j

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80% cheap strat clones,including Fender's own "Strat'

Do you mean a Fender "The Strat", made in the late 70's/early 80's? The Strat is a pretty cool, Fender USA made guitar, worth grabbing if the price on it is fair.

Actually I believe they are Squire (my bad) and just say Strat in italic on the head stock. Probably made in the past few years. Not good enough to called a Fender or Stratocaster. Some of those older Harmony stats feel and sound better.

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This thread again ? Sheeeeesh....... Just buy both and be done with it. It is personal prefernce anyway IMO.

Biggest difference is the neck. Hamer more C shaped and Jackson more D shaped.

Hamer neck feels quite a bit smaller as I think it is not as wide as the Jackson and has a 1-5/8" nut. Jackson has a 1-11/16" tupically.

Also Hamer mostly used medium frets where Jackson used Jumbos.

Finally Jackson had the option of 2 hums where most of the Calis you see have H-S--S.

Then you get into the bolt on neck vs neck through discussion. And a lot of times it comes down to the individual guitar. I have had Soloist and Cali duds.

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  • 8 months later...

interesting to see that Jackson outpaced Hamer, on a Hamer board no less. I have the same problem with both Jackson and EBMM guitars. They both seem like well made guitars but I can't stand the neck profiles on either and I've played quite a few examples of both.

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interesting to see that Jackson outpaced Hamer, on a Hamer board no less. I have the same problem with both Jackson and EBMM guitars. They both seem like well made guitars but I can't stand the neck profiles on either and I've played quite a few examples of both.

It speaks for itself that a slew of really good players had/have Soloists in their arsenal. And it's not just metal players. Hell, Jeff Beck, of all people, got really excited about his custom 3 SC Soloist. It was and is a groundbreaking design. Those wide/thin necks aren't for everyone, but they've sold a ton nonetheless.

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it's been a couple decades since I've picked up a Soloist, but what stands clearly in my memory is a neck that was as fast as an Ibanez but of absolute top-notch quality.

why I so desperately seek setneck Californians - the construction absolutely makes a difference. Hamers are in a sense less suited for focused meedly meedly tones and can do a broader range of tones.

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interesting to see that Jackson outpaced Hamer, on a Hamer board no less. I have the same problem with both Jackson and EBMM guitars. They both seem like well made guitars but I can't stand the neck profiles on either and I've played quite a few examples of both.

It speaks for itself that a slew of really good players had/have Soloists in their arsenal. And it's not just metal players. Hell, Jeff Beck, of all people, got really excited about his custom 3 SC Soloist. It was and is a groundbreaking design. Those wide/thin necks aren't for everyone, but they've sold a ton nonetheless.

Funny, I was just citing these very neck profile issues to LucSulla in a comparison between Soloists and Calis. Frankly, I'm more of a neck thru kind of player but if it came down to it, if you had put a comparably equipped Soloist and a set neck Cali in front of me, I'd take the Cali every time.

But in reference to Biz Prof's comment- units sold does not guarantee or even correlate to a more preferred neck profile. Bear in mind that Jackson had a commanding presence in the market place back then- that old ghost of ineffectual promotion/marketing coming back to haunt Hamer. Jackson had more hot shot artists seen with their guitars in hand and it paid off. Ibanez and, to a lesser degree, Kramer befitted from that as well.

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