Hamer California Elite - who has played one?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mooncobra
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i remember it from my youth as being one of the better if not the best superstrats of its era...every brand had a super strat but californian was winning all the shootouts of superstrats in all magazines ! (they couldnt bribe them all)
played a few, but i wasnt that much into floyds to competently pass too serious of a judgment...
all maple specimen...friend had a flame...heavy as...which was good then...rock machine without muddiness on the neck due to a single coil...
pricewise ? no idea !
 
I had a USA Chaparral from the same era. Quilt top, OFR. Great guitar, heavy as balls. Chaps were set neck though. Mine had that Floyd-thing where it would stick 1/4 pitch up and you had to jerk the bar down to bring it back to pitch. So I sold it for peanuts in the 90s.

Californias were much more desirable then, and I'm sure now too.
 
Californians were the top of the heap for Hamer super strats. I had a USA Centaura that was my main guitar for 15 years or so. Great guitar. I'd imagine the Cali is fantastic.
 
My personal experience from owning and playing Hamer USA is the quality is equal or better than Gibson custom shop.
I currently have a Prototype model.
It's kind of between a Les Paul Jr and Telecaster.
 
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I haven't played an Elite myself but the USA Cali Standard has been my #1 axe for decades. As good as it gets IMO

Also had a couple other USA Hamers (Diablo and Centaura) that were also incredible.

I personally believe you can't go wrong with a USA Hamer
 
I had one and it was a very good guitar. With that said they are asking high amounts for them now. You might do better elsewhere for a newer guitar.
 
I worked and gave guitar lessons at a music store 1991-93 that was a Hamer dealer...and they had that exact same guitar on the wall that I loved playing! Such a killer guitar, but I couldn’t afford it at the time.. On that particular guitar, there was a gnat that got stuck in the finish near the output jack..which I thought was cool because of the “bug trapped in amber” thing that the the new! Jurassic Park movie exploited.. Great guitars…if I had the extra funds I would buy it in a heartbeat!
 
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I always wanted a Californian. In the 80s I was following hamer intensely. At that time I couldn't afford that model so I bought a usa chapperal in snakeskin.It was my guitar for 15 years.I wore it out.Had to retire it.
 
Devin said:
I haven't played an Elite myself but the USA Cali Standard has been my #1 axe for decades. As good as it gets IMO

Also had a couple other USA Hamers (Diablo and Centaura) that were also incredible.

I personally believe you can't go wrong with a USA Hamer
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I also have 1994 Hamer Diablo II guitar. They only made these for about 2 years. I used to own a Diablo as well, but didn't bond with the neck of the guitar. The Hamer USA Diablo & Diablo II were more simple in their appearance and was marketed as a workhorse super Strat guitar.

Guitar George
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Hamer95USA said:
I also have 1994 Hamer Diablo II guitar. They only made these for about 2 years. I used to own a Diablo as well, but didn't bond with the neck of the guitar. The Hamer USA Diablo & Diablo II more simple in their appearance and was marketed as a workhorse super Strat guitar.

Guitar George
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Mine was one of the "limited" Diablo 1 models with the birdseye maple neck. Neck was much thinner than my Cali's neck but I still thought it felt awesome

87974363_10221988111511186_5800750145276477440_n.jpg
 
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