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Steve Stevens Scale length?

HamerAustria

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HamerAustria Member

HamerAustria

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

after lurking around for quite some time i finally registered. So this is my first post: Got this SS I Custom a while back and always wondered about the scale length - AFAIK it is reported to be 24.75 but this one looks like 24.5? The fret ruler simply doesn´t fit.....I know that Hamer did a lot of custom orders, what do you think about it? One-off?

It is completely original, SD pickups, Schaller Floyd (fine tuner screws were totally frozen by oxidation when i picked it up), color is black cherry metalflake. 

Andi

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19 answers to this question

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scottcald Veteran HFCer

scottcald

Posted
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Nice looking guitar!  HFC's own Victor (Fret Friend) worked on another HFCer's Chaparral a while back and measured out the same scale length, so you're probably not imagining things.  Whether that was a regular occurrence or not, I have no idea.  Here's a link to his YouTube video evaluating the Chap and finding that out:

 

Victor (Fret Friend) Veteran HFCer

Victor (Fret Friend)

Posted
Posted

It's 24.5 inches buddy and is likely a custom order: you can clearly see it's 12 and a 1/4 inches to the 12th fret from the nut (half of 24.5 (24 and a 1/4). Same as the Chap I worked on last year. Many were telling me it was 24.75 but hey ho: it was actually 24.5 inches (check the above video at 10 minutes 👍

ArnieZ Veteran HFCer

ArnieZ

Posted
Posted

Hamer used a compensated scale length for better intonation the nut may be moved slightly towards the bridge.

arniez

kizanski Veteran HFCer

kizanski

Posted
Posted

Measure from the face of the nut to the 12th fret and then double it.
Whatever that number is, that's your scale length.

Victor (Fret Friend) Veteran HFCer

Victor (Fret Friend)

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, kizanski said:

Measure from the face of the nut to the 12th fret and then double it.
Whatever that number is, that's your scale length.

It is very clear to see that the scale length is 24.5 inches as his nut to 12th fret measurement shows 12 and a quarter inches...

kizanski Veteran HFCer

kizanski

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Victor (Fret Friend) said:

It is very clear to see that the scale length is 24.5 inches as his nut to 12th fret measurement shows 12 and a quarter inches...

Well then there you are.

Matthews Guitars Member

Matthews Guitars

Posted
Posted

Greetings.  This is my first post here.

I am a semi-professional luthier and I just did a full restoration on a 1984 Hamer Steve Stevens model, in hot pink (Fuchsia, to be more precise.)

The scale length is Gibson's true 25 and 5/8" length.

I have always wanted an SS for myself.   Now that I've had one in my shop for a while, I took the time to make tracings, notes, photos, etc, and can build my own rendition of it when I want to.  I already have the fingerboard and the body blank rough sawn out.  

 

The fingerboard, inlaid with boomerang inlays, was made by the company that actually made them for Hamer.  So, the scale length and inlays are exact Hamer spec.  As their data shows,  the scale length is 24 and  5/8?

 

In the process of this restoration I had custom Hamer headstock waterslide transfer decals made, with the Steve Stevens signature.

I have extras of those logos for sale if anyone wants one.

 

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cynic Veteran HFCer

cynic

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Bennyboy-UK said:

Is that logo a bit wonky and undersized?

Steve Stevens is a bit wonky and undersized. 
 

Waterslides on a Hamer... Blasphemy!

Matthews Guitars Member

Matthews Guitars

Posted
Posted

My options were limited.  The headstock had been broken and repaired long ago.   It HAD no visible logo when i got it.  In the process of sanding off the AWFUL prior repair finish work, I found PART of the original silkscreened logo.  Enough to match the size of it up to the waterslides I had made. But not enough to show. 

I had three viable options:  Leave the headstock black.  Get waterslides made.  Or spend much more money to have the original headstock silkscreening setup reproduced, to be used just ONCE.   The customer chose to go with the waterslide decals. 

Size-wise, the waterslides matched up to what was left of the original logo.  All that's really missing is the USA because my artwork submission had the larger incorrect USA on it, which I elected not to use. Trimmed that part off.

 

I was able to salvage the original serial number on the back of the headstock.  It was still there, hiding under the bad refinish.   It's visible now, through a window in my refinish work, which I will say without hesitation is quite a decent job.  It better be, considering how much time I put into it!   

 

kizanski Veteran HFCer

kizanski

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, cynic said:

Steve Stevens is a bit wonky and undersized. 

Expertly done.

cmatthes Veteran HFCer

cmatthes

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Matthews Guitars said:

My options were limited.  The headstock had been broken and repaired long ago.   It HAD no visible logo when i got it.  In the process of sanding off the AWFUL prior repair finish work, I found PART of the original silkscreened logo.  Enough to match the size of it up to the waterslides I had made. But not enough to show. 

I had three viable options:  Leave the headstock black.  Get waterslides made.  Or spend much more money to have the original headstock silkscreening setup reproduced, to be used just ONCE.   The customer chose to go with the waterslide decals. 

 

The logo/headstock information (and the licensing info on the back of the headstock) are actually dry transfers.  Those can be made pretty affordably these days and are totally opaque if you find yourself doing another Hamer restoration in the future.  There are some folks here who could get you set up or connected if you have that need again!

Nice work - boomers always rock...

Matthews Guitars Member

Matthews Guitars

Posted
Posted

I hadn't looked into dry transfers.   Good to know.  Thanks!

My own guitars use either a gold applique' Matthews logo,  along the lines of the PRS gold logos,  or they're inlaid into the headstock overlay,  in MOP, abalone, or fossil ivory.

But for restorations, not that I'll do many,  I'll do what's most appropriate within the owner's budget.

This SS came out great.  Among the restoration work it got a fresh fretjob and I got the action down to below 3/64ths of an inch at the high E 12th fret, which approaches the theoretical limit.  The owner likes really low action and he's very pleased.

It was my first experience with a Floyd Rose tremolo in quite a while.  I'd forgotten how finicky their setup can be.

 

I do need to try to find him a correct 3 screw truss rod cover for his guitar.  Gibson and PRS style covers are common enough, but that type for an SS seems to be pretty scarce.  Got any sources? 

 

 

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