1988 Hamer Californian

Details

Californians have such a cool body shape, and it was a radical design at its introduction - 1988 - making this a relatively early model. The beveling on the top side of both horns is very striking and the way the wood curves towards the neck pocket is gorgeous design. I am also a big fan of this headstock design, it is rounded off and painted black with a large white logo, like many 80s guitars, but the entire headstock is not painted, with a little “negative space” used on the bottom edge and tip to silhouette a rounded shape while the paint gives off a pointy one. I think that looks really awesome and it’s unique as far as 80s shredders go. The input jack is also a bit abnormal, mounted on the bottom edge of the body but set-in using the same hardware a top-mount strat jack might have. This points the cable up towards the strap button, clearly designed to loop the guitar cable through your strap as you play, which is pretty common already - this just makes it even more effective.

This one has lost its original OEM Dimarzio pickups, replaced by an EMG 85 and EMG S pickup. I like these active pickups and with the incredibly low action of this guitar, makes them perfect for complex soloing.