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HFC member custom Chaparral in my workshop for a re-fret [Video]...


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A HFC member based in the uK recently posted asking if there were any UK-based luthiers trustworthy enough to refret his 86 Chap custom. Well yes, there is and that bloke is me!

Appraisal video inc. unboxing, first impressions and what I think we should do: 

 

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6 hours ago, Dutchman said:

Great Vic!! Can you video the entire job? 

I always video the entire job: it's what makes me different in these parts :)

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That was my old guitar.  I do regret selling it.  At the time I was in a “one in/one out” phase.  Please tell him if he ever wants to let it go...

Great that it’s being used enough to require a refret and it remains surrounded by HFC members.  Rock on!

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1 hour ago, DBraz said:

That was my old guitar.  I do regret selling it.  At the time I was in a “one in/one out” phase.  Please tell him if he ever wants to let it go...

Great that it’s being used enough to require a refret and it remains surrounded by HFC members.  Rock on!

Now then: a shame you had to sell it (I regrettably sold my 88 Cali) but I have already dibbed it if he decides to sell! Great that is is staying 'in house' so to speak!

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21 minutes ago, geoff_hartwell said:

24.5 is the scale length for most Hamer models, but they used 25.5 for Diablos, Californians and some Monacos.

24.75. Monaco Elite were short scale, the others were all long scale if I remember  correctly.

@FGJ Fretboard radius for electric is usually 10-12".  15" or above are considered pretty flat,  you find that on shredders, acoustic and especially classical are flatter. Most of my Hamers have been pretty solidly in the 12" camp, just judging by feel.

Some early teles were less than 8" radius (I think they were as round as 7.25", which is quite rounded). 9.5" or lower radius is pretty round and considered a vintage thing, above about 14" is flat.

You won't see 25.5" radius unless it's a specialty item or a classical guitar. It's very rare for a  an electric to be that flat outside of the extreme end of the shredder world.

 

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I'm sorry, I totally mis-typed what I meant. I meant to say that I thought most Hamers have a 14.5 fretboard radius, not scale length. In fact, my comment was so confusing looking back at it, I'm surprised anyone even attempted to respond. Who ever heard of 24.5 radius?

So to go back to what I meant to ask, don't most Hamers have a 14.5" radius, not 12"?

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7 hours ago, FGJ said:

I'm sorry, I totally mis-typed what I meant. I meant to say that I thought most Hamers have a 14.5 fretboard radius, not scale length. In fact, my comment was so confusing looking back at it, I'm surprised anyone even attempted to respond. Who ever heard of 24.5 radius?

So to go back to what I meant to ask, don't most Hamers have a 14.5" radius, not 12"?

I think planet earth has a 24.5 inch raduis! :P 🙃

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8 hours ago, FGJ said:

I'm sorry, I totally mis-typed what I meant. I meant to say that I thought most Hamers have a 14.5 fretboard radius, not scale length. In fact, my comment was so confusing looking back at it, I'm surprised anyone even attempted to respond. Who ever heard of 24.5 radius?

So to go back to what I meant to ask, don't most Hamers have a 14.5" radius, not 12"?

It's possible. I bet a forum search would confirm it.  I have never measured, I was just going by feel. I just know they aren't quite as flat as my Carvin, which is 15" radius, and nowhere near as round as my 9.5" tele board. 

The difference from 12-14 isn't really that noticeable to me.

As for who ever heard of a 24.5" radius, I had a Carvin Holdsworth fatboy for a while and THAT had a flat board that was noticeably different.  20", which is close! I never played anything flatter that didn't have nylon strings. That was a ridiculous guitar, though strangely comfortable.  I really wish I hadn't had to sell it.

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Just watched the video.  

Interesting that it was refretted.  There was plenty left on the originals when I sold it.  It must be getting a lot of play!

Its definitely 24.75” scale length with 14.5” radius.  At least it was before the refret that’s currently on it.

 

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5 hours ago, DBraz said:

Just watched the video.  

Interesting that it was refretted.  There was plenty left on the originals when I sold it.  It must be getting a lot of play!

Its definitely 24.75” scale length with 14.5” radius.  At least it was before the refret that’s currently on it.

 

Let me tell you: it is not 24.75. It's 24.5. Radius-wise, I measure 12" but I will check again as I have only had a quick measure with the strings on and I cannot say for sure. Scale lenght is 24.5" though...

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I mean: you have just watched me put a 24.5 inch notched straight edge over the frets! How can it be 24.75?

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8 minutes ago, cynic said:

One could always measure the distance from nut to saddles to be certain.  Those 1st gen Chaps were advertised as 24.75".

This.

I didn't watch shit.   I'm too impatient to watch most things like this on the youtubes so I might scan, fast forward, scan, fast forward, etc. until I see something I might find interesting. It's 20 minutes, from what I can tell unedited, and starts with an unopened box, so... yeah.  I missed that piece.

Almost everything shorter scale Hamer made was 24.75, including at least some Chaps. Curious they made them even shorter scale. Kinda cool to learn about it.

 

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It's definitely 24 inch! Would have been easier to measure maybe but I have 7 different sized notched straigh edges to hand. As this is my fulltime job now (since May 2019) I (hope I) think I know what I'm doing :P (that's a lot of I's in a short space there :))

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Did I say 24 inch? What a knob :P it's 24.5 and I knew that!  I think I said 24.5 in the video so I stand kinda correct (and corrected) but slightly embarrassed...

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