Kahler Flyer (2330) on 1987 Scarab II

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

Hi Folks,

I am new here on the HFC-forums. I am from Germany and bought a 1987 Hamer Scarab II Sammy Hagar SIgnature. I searched actually pretty long for that guitar (original slamer pickups etc.) and found it last year on ebay germany. I know that Scarabs are actually more easy to get in the US but in Germany they are rare and I had to pay much more then you would pay in the US. But the guitar is in a pretty good condition and has actually no fretwear.

So this guitar has a Kahler Flyer Trem installed and the seller did no good setup regarding the string-height etc. I found this setupguide for the trem: http://www.carvinmuseum.com/decade/images/kahlerflyer.html . Compared to the new Kahlertrems the intonation-screws are not on top, they are actually in front under the rollers. The instructionguide tells that there is a philipsscrew but right now I can hardly tell what kind of philipsscrew it is and which kind of screwdriver I might need! Does anybody of you own the same trem and can share this expertize with me?

Also what is your experience with the truss rod on this guitar? My brother wants to test if it is still ok and not broken. The neck itself is right now in the right position and not warped. Can you recommend this?

I am not that experiences with guitarsetups but we have no good local stores here and I don't want to screw the guitar in a bad way.

looking forward to your answers

best regards from Germany

[Jason01]

I like it, that would look great up on the wall with that penmanship. Just one more thing Sammys better than me at!

[specialk]

Nice one, Christos! Congrats and thanks for the pics.

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

Boys... I paid 1600 USD for that guitar.... so actually the seller fucked me up even if the guitar is hard to get in Germany. Well I wanted it.... I got it .... I learned!

[cmatthes]

It's worth whatever it was worth to you, not what they all sell for. You only got screwed if you were looking to resell it at a huge profit or something. If you're looking to play and enjoy it, you got a tough to find guitar at a price that you were able and willing to pay.

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

Well I never would sell that guitar to any people outside my family... I searched for it like 3 years and found different scarabs on ebay ....some with bodydamage....some with replaced pickups (a no go for me because I wanted the slammers). Well I said I got screwed because in the US you get scarabs much cheaper. If I compare the 1600 dollars (1290 euros) with the price of modern guitars then the Scarab was still an awesome deal. Well I had to bleed for this one so believe me... I never would sell it to any person outside my family and even then only if I would have serious money-issues. I just searched for an 80s guitar with real rocking sound... that's the scarab. Well another choice would have been a jackson big red king V from the Robbin Crosby signature series... lol ;-)

[zenmindbeginner]

This one would have potentially sold for way more than $350. The paintjob is in excellent condition and it has the unique and rare signature so it's not your average example by any means.

Did you get the OHSC and if you did, is it in fair condition or ruined like most of the Scarab cases out there?

It's a badass axe that plays and sounds killer, totally worth the money IMO.

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

This one would have potentially sold for way more than $350. The paintjob is in excellent condition and it has the unique and rare signature so it's not your average example by any means.

Did you get the OHSC and if you did, is it in fair condition or ruined like most of the Scarab cases out there?

It's a badass axe that plays and sounds killer, totally worth the money IMO.

It is the official hardcase from back then but the key is missing. The inside is in pretty ok condition expect the part on the end of the body...I mean the part of the right inside of the case (refering to this picture) just needs to be fixed..not a big thing!:

Does that newer case by hamer actually fit?

And did something significantly change after kahler was taken over by fuckin fender?

And why did the discontinue the slammer pickups? I mean.... not even the hamer customshop could do some of them out of dimarzios current pickups? right?

[zenmindbeginner]

This one would have potentially sold for way more than $350. The paintjob is in excellent condition and it has the unique and rare signature so it's not your average example by any means.

Did you get the OHSC and if you did, is it in fair condition or ruined like most of the Scarab cases out there?

It's a badass axe that plays and sounds killer, totally worth the money IMO.

It is the official hardcase from back then but the key is missing. The inside is in pretty ok condition expect the part on the end of the body...I mean the part of the right inside of the case (refering to this picture) just needs to be fixed..not a big thing!:

Does that newer case by hamer actually fit?

And did something significantly change after kahler was taken over by fuckin fender?

And why did the discontinue the slammer pickups? I mean.... not even the hamer customshop could do some of them out of dimarzios current pickups? right?

Wow, that case is in awesome condition... just the case alone is worth $150. The more I look at it, the more I am seeing a 9 out of 10. The newer Scarab case isn't made by that Canadian company and is of inferior construction... rounded corners always mean a newer import case. The older ones were the real deal. The cases circa 1985-1987 were mostly red lined but I've also seen royal blue from the same time too.

The newer Kahler stuff is identical to the original... same designs and materials. Not so sure about the plating on the newer stuff but FMIC knows a thing or two about chrome so I assume it's the same silky chrome finishes but I could be wrong.

The JB is a more compressed and fluid version of the 16K Slammers. I actually like the feel and juice of the JB a bit better for leads than the Slammer but the Slammers are more open sounding and have a bit more of a complex texture.

I actually think that the Scarab is the best vehicle for the Slammers because of it's unique shape and sculpted contours. There's no place for the mahogany body to resonate and get too muddy because of all of the wood removed as compared to the original Blitz blank.

The elegant tele control plate for a back cavity cover is sleek and as classy as you can get... not seen much on Hamers.

The Scarab is a Ferrari. Hamer has always had nice mahogany tonewood stock and the lean Scarab takes advantage of a thin but quite long body design to produce a forward leaning and aggressive sounding guitar.

I cannot emphasize enough this guitar's tone due to it's unique shape.

And the cleans are surprisingly good, quite shocking actually. The neck pickup yields a thick yet defined low end with tight and crisp mids.

Speaking of custom shops... Maricela over at Seymour Duncan's custom shop will wind you a pickup that will be very similar if you just discuss it a bit with her.

She's probably aware of the Slammers and knows how to wind you an effective analog. DiMarzio made the OEM originals for Hamer.

Interestingly enough, the Ernie Ball Axis pickups are exactly like the Slammers in the respect that they are OEM made by DiMarzio and sold exclusively when installed in the Axis models.

The dirty secret is that they are similar designs... ssshhhhhh. You can't get the Axis pickups either. DiMarzio is a pistol of a company that appears flexible through all of the colors that they come in but that's just on the surface. DiMartzio is a very rigidly run company with no custom shop and LOTS of discontinued designs that they refuse to make. By contrast, Maricela will wind you anything under the sun over at SD's custom shop. DiMarzio will also prevent you from selling a double cream mass produced pickup due to their legal team's heavy trademark enforcement.

Is yours metallic pearl?

[Andrew]

Nice example, for sure. I would try to find the history as I think it was a competition guitar.

Cases went black lined in 86, every 87 I have seen has a black lined case. I think Scarabs were shipped in the same case as the Blitz and Scepter. And the FB which didn't fit in well at all.

[zenmindbeginner]

Nice example, for sure. I would try to find the history as I think it was a competition guitar.

Cases went black lined in 86, every 87 I have seen has a black lined case. I think Scarabs were shipped in the same case as the Blitz and Scepter. And the FB which didn't fit in well at all.

Such accuracy led me to remember that I clearly bought the guitar in the Fall of 1985 not 1987 when I was only 12 not 13. I had $300, my Mom was supposed to pitch in $150 but I ended up getting a $600 guitar instead of a $450 one. She had to pony up the other $150 which was hard 'cause we were poor (she borrowed it from a friend). I had worked Summers for my Dad fixing fences, bailing hay and doing odd jobs since my Dad kept a small farm in those days and I had also saved a little birthday and Xmas money from the previous year.

I ended up winning $150 in the super bowl pool during the Bears/Patriots game at a party my Mom dragged me and my brother to. I basically won three out of four quarters in their pool. My Mom was able to pay her friend back with that money.

Thanks Andrew.

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

This one would have potentially sold for way more than $350. The paintjob is in excellent condition and it has the unique and rare signature so it's not your average example by any means.

Did you get the OHSC and if you did, is it in fair condition or ruined like most of the Scarab cases out there?

It's a badass axe that plays and sounds killer, totally worth the money IMO.

It is the official hardcase from back then but the key is missing. The inside is in pretty ok condition expect the part on the end of the body...I mean the part of the right inside of the case (refering to this picture) just needs to be fixed..not a big thing!:

Does that newer case by hamer actually fit?

And did something significantly change after kahler was taken over by fuckin fender?

And why did the discontinue the slammer pickups? I mean.... not even the hamer customshop could do some of them out of dimarzios current pickups? right?

Wow, that case is in awesome condition... just the case alone is worth $150. The more I look at it, the more I am seeing a 9 out of 10. The newer Scarab case isn't made by that Canadian company and is of inferior construction... rounded corners always mean a newer import case. The older ones were the real deal. The cases circa 1985-1987 were mostly red lined but I've also seen royal blue from the same time too.

The newer Kahler stuff is identical to the original... same designs and materials. Not so sure about the plating on the newer stuff but FMIC knows a thing or two about chrome so I assume it's the same silky chrome finishes but I could be wrong.

The JB is a more compressed and fluid version of the 16K Slammers. I actually like the feel and juice of the JB a bit better for leads than the Slammer but the Slammers are more open sounding and have a bit more of a complex texture.

I actually think that the Scarab is the best vehicle for the Slammers because of it's unique shape and sculpted contours. There's no place for the mahogany body to resonate and get too muddy because of all of the wood removed as compared to the original Blitz blank.

The elegant tele control plate for a back cavity cover is sleek and as classy as you can get... not seen much on Hamers.

The Scarab is a Ferrari. Hamer has always had nice mahogany tonewood stock and the lean Scarab takes advantage of a thin but quite long body design to produce a forward leaning and aggressive sounding guitar.

I cannot emphasize enough this guitar's tone due to it's unique shape.

And the cleans are surprisingly good, quite shocking actually. The neck pickup yields a thick yet defined low end with tight and crisp mids.

Speaking of custom shops... Maricela over at Seymour Duncan's custom shop will wind you a pickup that will be very similar if you just discuss it a bit with her.

She's probably aware of the Slammers and knows how to wind you an effective analog. DiMarzio made the OEM originals for Hamer.

Interestingly enough, the Ernie Ball Axis pickups are exactly like the Slammers in the respect that they are OEM made by DiMarzio and sold exclusively when installed in the Axis models.

The dirty secret is that they are similar designs... ssshhhhhh. You can't get the Axis pickups either. DiMarzio is a pistol of a company that appears flexible through all of the colors that they come in but that's just on the surface. DiMartzio is a very rigidly run company with no custom shop and LOTS of discontinued designs that they refuse to make. By contrast, Maricela will wind you anything under the sun over at SD's custom shop. DiMarzio will also prevent you from selling a double cream mass produced pickup due to their legal team's heavy trademark enforcement.

Is yours metallic pearl?

Oooopps I made a mistake, sorry!

I meant: Did something significantly change after HAMER (not Kahler) was taken over by fuckin FENDER! .... sorry!

The case is pretty much stable....you can see the top on the first page of the thread! The bottom just has some surface damage!

When I mentioned the new case, which is sold today, I was actually talking about this one:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/hamer-gc1142-scarab-guitar-case

What do I have to expect from that one?

So actually I could get slammer-like pickups at seymour duncan.... that is funny! ;-) But good to know! Hopefully the person you mentioned will work there for a long time till in the future.

Metallic Pearl... ok... you are refering to the finish of the guitar? It is very glossy and reflecting! The red is darker as seen on the photos... more like cherry-red! Everything makes a very matching impression.... much better like the black/pink hagar one which was advertised back then! Lol ;-)

I found that guitar on ebay.de ... and first I was like "well now here she is... everything you wanted.... but you don't have the money!" ... so I visited the auction for like 2 months every day! In the end I made a bargain with the dealer.... I would pay it by installments. I paid first 330 Euros so he "secured" the guitar for me! But I would not see or get the guitar (munich is far away from me) until I have paid the complete amount and I would also not get back the 330 if I don't pay the whole amount between march and july 2011. So... I am running my own small designbusiness.... and had some financial struggle at that time because of health-care-costs.... I sold my 17'' macbook unibody (cost 3300 euros when I bought it) for 1/3 of its former price to get hands on the guitar.... transfered the money last minute! ... well that's my story!

Nice example, for sure. I would try to find the history as I think it was a competition guitar.

Yeah but where could you find info about that?

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

Btw: so you mean the scarab will FIT in any explorer-case? without any risk of being loose in the case?

[mathman]

That's a great looking scarab. One of my bucket lists Hamers, that I left off my bucket list. Ahh, who am I kidding. They are all on my bucket list!

Good luck getting the kahler settled. Beautiful guitar.

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

oh ok... this is maricela from seymour duncan, right?

Did not know about her! thanks for the special info!

[serial]

Damn! Once again, I have the page right before this one.... I can tell you that it's on page 156 of the log book for 1987 and the production date was late June, 1987.

[Christos_Sotiropoulos]

Damn! Once again, I have the page right before this one.... I can tell you that it's on page 156 of the log book for 1987 and the production date was late June, 1987.

Where do you have the logbook from? Can i see it some where? cool info!

[Rebeka]

Yours is in amazing condition. I have an '85 with a Floyd and I love it, though it's seen a bit more wear over the years.

[zenmindbeginner]

Yours is in amazing condition. I have an '85 with a Floyd and I love it, though it's seen a bit more wear over the years.

It's beautiful like a black panther... is that an ebony board? What kind of pickups are those and what do the mini switches do?

[Rebeka]

It's beautiful like a black panther... is that an ebony board? What kind of pickups are those and what do the mini switches do?

Thank you. Yep, ebony board. It's really nice. I'm pretty sure the bridge is a stock Slammer, neck is some kind of DiMarzio. I think the mini switches are coil splits. I haven't really studied the wiring at all since everything works perfectly and the pickups sound great.