Hamer Chaparall

Hamer USA Chaparral, 24 frets, ebony board, three-piece 25.5 scale bolt-on maple neck, MOP (real not fake or plastic) bomerang inlays, Mahogany body, H-S-S with twin-blade Sustainiac in neck, stacked Seymour Duncan Trembucker in middle, and standard Seymour Duncan Trembucker in the bridge. Schaller Folyd Rose bridge and locking nut, Hamer-branded Schaller tuners. Brushed aluminum back plate covers, thumb flip-switch compartment for two 9 volt batteries to run the Sustainiac. Volume control, tone control, five-way switch, and two mini-toggles for a wide range of variations with the Sustainiac. Body is cut to make the heel small thin and smooth, and it's easy access to the 24th fret. Neck is wide-thin. This guitar in my opinion is the ultimate superstrat.

This guitar is a shredder's dream. For rock you can't get a better guitar. I run through a Marshall JCM900 with a Boss TU2 and Crybaby and sometimes an Ibanez TS10 for boost. Guitar has a rich, bright sound, and there are a ton of options and sound variations possible with the triple-humbucker and five-way set up then add to that the Sustainiac option and WOW.

Hamer USA is high quality. This guitar is hand made. A lot of attention was given to this baby when it was made from start to finish. Hamer says you can remove the screws from the neck pocket and it will stay - I don't know about all that but it IS TIGHT. Perfect cuts. Everything on this guitar is flawless. Probably the best built and made guitar I've seen in more than 25 years as a player.

I used this guitar for gigs and everything for years. Guitar is well made, but tilted headstocks always make me nervous if dropped. Unlike early models, the nut on mine is NOT drilled through so that's good. Schaller hardware is tops. Paint is really good but mine has faded and chipped and has the typical neck pocket finish cracks. I always use locking straps and always have a backup at gigs. Make sure you have extra batteries with a Sustainiac because it eats them up and it won't produce any sound on any settings without the batteries in there - the whole guitar is "dead" with no batteries in it.

Hamer USA is a GREAT company. I hope they never sellout to a major corporation. Jol is the best. The whole company is friendly, helpful, and willing to talk to customers. I've contacted them to get old articles, manuals, and answers to questions. Solid.

I've been playing guitar for about 25 years. I have previously owned guitars by Gibson, Fender, Jackson, Martin, Ovation, Kramer... currently own guitars by Ibanez, ESP, Peavey, Wollerman, and Hamer. I've had 3 USA Hamers in my life and made the mistake of selling one (1984 KK Downing V) I will never sell the 2 I still have- this Chaparral and a USA Daytona. Neither of my Hamers can be replaced, they are both out of production - they are honestly the best guitars I've ever played. Custom shop quality. WAY above the quality of Gibson and Fender. My Hamer Chaparral is the favorite of all the guitars I've ever owned, and I've had more than a hundred, so that's saying a lot. I currently play an ESP MII as my main guitar at gigs and rehersals and stuff because the Hamer is too special to take out anymore. If you like superstrats and see a Hamer USA Chaparral for sale get it.

My Chaparral is a standard USA model made in 1989. As far as I know the second version was produced between 1987 and the early 1990ties (until 1991?). The street price at that time in Europe was above 3,000 US$. It has the typical Strat body style, a one-piece-Honduras mahogany body, a maple new (3 pieces) with a rosewood fretboard. The finish is a kind of dark red and black metal finish. It is quite similar to the finish of some current Ibanez RG prestige models.
Like all of the 2. version of the Chaparral it has a bold-on neck and the (longer) Strat scale. The shape is a kind of medium thin D-scale and the frets have medium jumbo dimensions. The radius of the neck is 14???. Compared with a Strat the neck is much more ???faster???, perfect for all kind of shredding.
Hardware: Schaller tuners and Schaller Floyd Rose (all labeled as "Hamer"); Originally Hamer HSS pickups which were made exclusively for Hamer by DiMarzio and an additional Sustaniac GA1 system. Volume and treble control, 5-way PU selector and two mini-switches for the Sustaniac system. Only because of personal taste I replaced the bridge HB by a Seymour Duncan TB6 and the neck SC by a Seymour Duncan Little 59. What is more I installed both humbuckers with the split option. All in all I have an enormous variety of sound options. That means I have now a HSH combination and the additional Sustaniac option.
A disadvantage for some extent is the fact that the Sustaniac needs two 9V-block batteries and when I use the e-bow effect the power consumption is extreme. Although all ???normal??? pickups are passiv, they are connected to the Sustaniac electronical unit and the guitar will not work properly with completely discharged batteries. I guess this is the main reason why a lot of people exchanged the Sustaniac in their guitars in the past.

The sound is difficult the describe. On the one hand this guitar is a typical (Super-)Strat and not only because of this it resembles a Strat . One the other hand due to the mahogany body the sound has much more sustain and is not as bright like ??? for instance ??? the sound of my Fender Strat Plus. So for a certain degree it is a perfect combination of a Strat and a Les Paul. This is exactly what I searched for years.
All in all it is quite versatile and you can play every style of music you like. But I guess it is perfect for Rock and Metal. And of course I wouldn???t use it for Jazz or Blues. To conclude: I never played a better sounding guitar. I play mostly a kind of rock , hard rock.
My other equipment: Mesa Boogie DC 5 Combo and a Engl VH 212 box with two Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, TC-electronic G-Mayor and a Tech21 PSA 1 SansAmp for playing at home.
The Sustaniac is something very special. It is a kind of e-bow and / or endless sustain effect. For some people it might be not more than a gadget. But for some occasions it???s really nice.

When I get it of ebay the guitar was already 14 years old. But despite that there were almost no visual marks of being used so far. The first and before me the only owner obviously did not play much with that guitar and he was definitely not able to tune a Floyd Rose equipped guitar properly. Good for me, so I got a almost new old stock guitar. I spend a lot of time in order to get a low action but now everything is fine. The above mentioned pickup exchange was really tricky because of the really sophisticated Sustaniac unit.
I should mention that due to the thin neck the guitar is relatively sensible to changes in temperature. I guess that is similar to some Ibanez guitars with wizard necks.

This guitar is a high end instrument and it will last forever. When you perform with this guitar you should hold a pair of 9V-batteries in reserve.

Hamer USA still exists as a company but the actual company seems to have not much in common with the great company of the 1980ties. So customer support is no topic.

This guitar is a perfect (hard-)rock and metal guitar. Compared with other Super-Strats made by Jackson, ESP or Ibanez it is definitely much more better. It seems to be really difficult to get used US model nowadays. I???m pretty lucky that I???ve got one and I will never sell it. So if you are able to get one, don???t hesitate. These old USA Hamer guitars are today some of the most underrated guitars. So if you get one , the price-performance-ratio should be fantastic.

I was fortunate enough to have been working at a local music store (Amercian Music in Bellevue, WA) when I met Mr. Paul Hamer at the store during one of his visits. I was looking for a "Lake Placid Blue" Fender-style color for a custom guitar, and Paul said that he would try. He brought back some polaroids of the color on my guitar when it was being painted on subsequent visits and it looked pretty close. When the final "clear" was put on, the color changed to include a slight greenish hue. I actually liked this better, and Paul told me that this would be a unique color for a very unique guitar coming out of his factory.
The Body is a strat style body.
The Bridge is a Black Floyd Rose with mini tuners for fine tuning. It is a "floating" bridge -- usually floating bridges sacrifice sustain but not this guitar!
The tuners black Hamer tuners -- non-locking since the guitar has a Floyd.
The neck is a medium scale (24 3/4) 24 fret neck. It's not a very wide neck, with an ebony fret board with boomerang mother of pearl inlays. It's a neck-through-body construction.
This was made at the USA Hamer factory, under the supervision of Paul Hamer -- I believe it was completed in 1986.
The pickup configuration is one of my favorites: S/S/H
The original came with OBL (Bill Lawrence) pickups even though I wanted EMGs but Paul told me that they didn't install active EMGs back then. The day that I was handed this guitar, I took it to get the EMGs installed.
The controls are unique for this year and make of Hamer too. I have a 5-way selector (I believe all Chaparrals during this time had mini toggles but no 5-way option) for the pickups. I also had a mini toggle swith installed under the Volume and Tone controls to be able to split the rear humbucker to a single.
All hardware as I mentioned in Black.
The back access panels are also Black.
The Jack is in the front (Strat-style.
It came with a very sturdy Hamer case -- extras? Who needs extras when the president of the company helps you to create a one of a kind guitar?!!!

Having owned multiple guitars over the past 30+ years, this Hamer is still my number 1 guitar! I've played Top 40 with it on stage, showcasing its versatility. I mostly use it now in the studio -- gravitating more towards rock and funk styles. I mostly run this through a Mesa Boggie Mark III combo (SimulClass)and it matches up well. I had Mike Lull (Redmond, Washington) the only person that I would ever trust to touch any of my guitars install EMGs replacing the original OBL pickups when I first bought this guitar. It's a great match! The sustain is incredible! (Is this a Spinal Tap comment?!!) Since I can split the rear humbucker with the mini toggle switch, it adds even more versatility to the sound than any of the Chaparrals that were made back then. This is to me, the perfect guitar!

The guitar came setup perfectly from the factory. Actually, it HAD to! Paul Hamer himself was overlooking the build of this custom guitar. The finish was a custom color and the whole guitar didn'have a single scratch on it.

I've had this guitar for 20 years now and it's NEVER failed me, on stage or in the studio. Very solid hardware, although I did replace the strap buttons with strap-locks in the 80's. I would always have a backup on stage since this guitar is setup with a floating Floyd -- break a string and you're out of commission!

Never had a problem, and Paul Hamer himself helped me design this custom guitar.

I've been playing for 30+ years. I have many guitars in my collection, but I PLAY them all! I'm not one of those collectors that never touch their guitars -- these instruments are made to be played! I tend to gravitate towards Strat-type guitars and as such I have owned many Fenders. I currently have a Takamine acoustic 12 string, Ovation Balladeer 6 string as well as a couple of Yamaha bass guitars. I have one Fender Strat with Lace pickups right now as well as a couple of heavily modified FrankenStrats with anything from OBL to Duncan Jeff Beck Humbuckers -- all with Floyds. My current Amp setup is a Boogie Mark III combo simulclass model, but I also run multiple amp simulators and rack mount devices for recording.
I would be petrified if this guitar ever got lost or stolen! It's like one of my children!
This guitar has also become an extension of myself -- I really can't say this about any of the other guitars that I have owned or played.

The Hamer Chaparall Custom was made in the USA
Solid Mahogany Body
Maple Neck with 24 frets and ebony fretboard with boomerang inlays
Schaller M6 mini tuners with Hamer logo
Original Floyd Rose
OBL first series 900XL in the brige and 450L in middle and neck pos.
metallic blue colour and chrome hardware
original Hamer case includet
the guitar was built around 1986 -87

80`s rock at it`s best
great variety of sounds (strat style)
no noises `cause of the OBL double blade humbuckers
the 450`s sound like a single coil

Tthe guitar was well fitted from the factory exept of the paintjob on the neck at the fretboard

If you look for a very versile guitar the Hamer is a very good choice
The hardware is nearly mint condition (remenber the age)

a long time ago the headstock was broken but the guitar was out of warranty

I got some other guitars (strat, Tele, Les Paul, Ibanez RG)
this one is one of a kind
My favorite feature about this guitar is the tone
the incredible sustain (for a floyd rose guitar)

I had played years ago a chapparal that belonged to a friend of mine and ever since i've been looking for one..........Mine is a 86 hamer chapparal custom which i bought over the magical place called ebay :-)for 600euros. Mahogany body, set neck (short scale 24.75) maple, floyd rose and it came with a jackson humbucker and two dimarzios HS-3 pickups which were probably installed by the previous owner. Has three mini toggles which give apart from the classic pickup selections various other possibilities(pickups out of phase). The previous owner of the guitar stripped the guitar from the bright pink (........ah the 80's!!!!) colour it came with from the factory and now it has that beautiful natural colour of the mahogany (much better this way...i would never play i pink guitar lol). I soon changed the pickups to my favorite emg 85/SA/SA set (by the way the two dimarzios HS-3 were nice pickups). Only thing i miss is that with the emgs i lost the out of phase sounds.

I play mostly rock and hard rock and some blues and i also gig with some covers bands. I am using it through a BOOGIE DC5 combo, a Marshall jcm2000 and a rocktron replifex for some delay and reverb.....Well....i wish hamer still made this guitars.......i do not see the reason why someone would prefer a jackson over this hamer...amazing fat, full , warm sound......and endless sustain.......I have never seen a floyd equipped guitar with such a good sustain. The set neck and mahogany body help for that. One other thing i like very very much is the feel of the neck........I do not like fat necks.......I know fat neck are a trend right now but when i am playing i am not influenced by trends.i want to play a neck that feels comfortable and makes me play better and this one fits like a glove..........Stays also well in tune even after heavy tremolo use. I really can't find something i do not like about this guitar. Soon it has become my number one guitar (and is the main responcible for selling my other floyd equipped strat a fender US strat special floyd rose hss). 10++

Well it's a 20 years old guitar.......there was some wear on the frets and on the fingerboard and some finish cracking on the headstock but that's to be expected from a guitar this old. Overall it was an 7.5/10 condition which is good. One more thing.usually i find that floyd roses meake gutars feel a little stiff..........not this one after i have set it up it plays like a dream....low, fast action, very easy to play...........And for playability another 10++

As i said before the guitar is in very good shape considering it's age so i think it is quite durable. One thing though you must take care with chapparals is that they are notoriously fragile in the neck/headstock area....the tilted back headstock is the cause for that....most of the chaparals i have seen have susatined a damage in this area.......so be careful when leaving the guitar on a stand or at the bed with the headstock facing up......

I've been playing for 13 years and if my chapparal was lost or stolen i would immediately buy another one.........if i could find one that is...........short scale chapparals with the set neck were only made through 85-86 so they are not so easy to find.......I used to work at a music store so i have got the chance to play and test from tom andersons down to squiers.........i also own some other guitars...(mostly strats) but my hamer chapparal is the #1. Better than any US Jackson and for less than 1/3 the price......Hamer always made awesome guitars. It has everything a guitarist want...........tone, playability, warmth........it even brings me some nostalgia for the 80's era :-) .......
10+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stunning Cherry flake USA handmade Chaparall. Dont know the year (serial 820606) I think it has DiMarzios in it? Not EMG's anyway! Excellent Floyd trem. Two pots and a five way selector

Running it through a JCM 800 2204 and 1936 Cab - Totally blows your head off and thats without effects! Very clean sound. Humbucker has a very dry powerful edge, nice and clear! The singles are very crisp sounding with a good bark to them - very nice combination. I have to give it 10 out of 10 considering what I paid! It compares to guitars I've paid MUCH MUCH more for.

Tremendous feel on this guitar - inspires confidence!

Doesnt have a single scratch and considering this guitar is getting on for 15-20 years it must bode well! The Floyd feels like it was made in a tank factory! The 5-way selector feels good quality and wont need constant attention. The pots feel like real pots - not toy ones! Stays in tune no problem! The Floyd is is the business as long as you dont break a string.

I bought this guitar because I loved the playing of Vernon Reid in the 80's & here is a very close example of the guitars he played; one that I paid all of $300 for! This guitar was worth circa $1500 when new and I get it now for $300 - go figure? I suppose thats fickle guitar fashion for you!? Just because Nirvana etc didnt play these type of guitars doesnt mean they're not great instruments! As far as I'm concerned this guitar is a CLASSIC and will now be a mainstay in my arsenal! $300? I'm still laughing about it. If you can get one like mine my advice is grab it while you can!

It's a 1991 Chaparral Deluxe, made in USA. The body on this one is made of alder and is in a blueburst metallic finish. The hardware is gold, of course the standard features, Schaller/Hamer Floyd Rose trem and Schaller M6L mini tuners (also w/Hamer logo). I don't know if all Chaparral Deluxe guitars came with EMG pickups, but this has stock ones (two SA and one 89 humbucker, which has coil split w/push-pull-pot switch). Also here, as on other Chaparral models, 1 Volume, 1 Tone and a 5-way pickup selector switch. The neck (25.5" scale) is a 1-piece maple neck with ebony fretboard and is bolt-on. The fretboard has 24 medium frets and offset pearl dots, except for the 3rd and 12th fret position markers where it has Hamer's trademark boomerang inlays, the fretboard radius seems to be 12", while the back of the neck has a nice D-shape. By the way, the FR locking nut is drilled from above (not drilled through as on earlier Hamers). I also have a '89 Chaparral Standard, which seems to be an entirely different guitar except for the name, it is in pink with a mahogany body, stock Hamer/Dimarzio pickups, Sustainiac device. Also the neck on that one is different, as it is a 3-piece maple neck with rosewood fretboard and a meatier neck profile, also the neck on this is drilled through for the locking nut. Also, the the Deluxe Chap has bevels on the cutaways (though not as extreme as on the Californian), while the older Chaparral models didn't have this (at least not as standard feature).

The Chaparral Deluxe is a very versatile instrument. The EMGs deliver a nice sound (I tend to think that they're responsible for the "treble gain"). It was a popular combination that time (very similar to the guitars Steve Lukather used). It sounds great with my Marshall (30th Anniversary, regular edition), but also on Fender and Peavey amps. I also played it through a small Mesa Boogie combo, but didn't like it that much. The EMGs aren't noisy at all, the SA are bright sounding, but the 89 in humbucking mode has a very fat sound. Good for clean and distorted sounds, nice long sustain. The other Chaparral is also different in sound, less treble, more mids and bass. Well, it also cuts treble when lowering the volume, which is a bit too much for my tastes, I bought this guitar for the Sustainiac device with provides e-bow-like sustain effects (with harmonics) in first place.

One can set up the action on the Chap Deluxe one very low without fret buzzing. The pickups are also easy to adjust. The only flaw on this one is the finish, which has some cracks in the clear laquer (though maybe this is common on metallic finishes). The Chap Deluxe is light, and balanced well. Those with mahogany body (or maple which was a custom option on this model as well) are heavier (though also balanced well)

Well, Floyd Rose-equipped and with active pickups, this wouldn't be a great candidate to use without backup (I have enough guitars to take 2 of them to gigs), though I always use these without backup when having set -up a new set of fresh strings and a new batterie. Great guitar, though not my main instrument (I like my other guitars as well, there is no real No. 1)

Well, there was a time when guitars like this were pretty common. Floyd Rose-equipped "Super Strats" were almost standard in the late 80'/early 90's. But now, about 15 years later, and retro vintage style rules the guitar world once more, the great "super Strats" of yesteryear are a rarer find. While Jackson/Charvel still produces these kind of guitars with sucsess, Hamer gave up building these instruments in 1997. Today, Hamer is also a little more vintage-oriented (they're still great guitars), but models like this Chaparral Deluxe are worth it, actually, most of those guitars used the same hardware and electronics anyway. These can be found very cheap sometimes, but there are still many fans of these guitar types. Just remember, these are the vintage instruments of tomorrow, and there will always be people remembering them as being great guitars, and yes, this Chaparral Deluxe is a good-looking and good-sounding guitar, what do you ask for more?

'88 Hamer Chap with bolt on dot rosewood neck. It has a red sparkle finish body. It has all black hardware with a hamer/floyd rose. The pick-ups are s/s/h with a 5 way switch

I play blues, rock, hard rock, jazz. To say this guitar can do it all is an understatement. I have 12 guitars this one cost the least and it's the 1st one I reach for. I plug directly into the amp and use the selector switch and volume control for the sound I want. You can get a tele, strat, sg and 80's hair metal sound in one guitar.

Hamer USA guitars are the best quality guitars I have owned and this one is no exeption. The parts are top notch, the finish has held up well for a guitar of this age. The guitar is so tightly put together that it can be played and heard without an amp.

The only flaw that I have found is that the finish seems to wear quicker than some of my other guitars. The overall package seems like it should continue to hold up for long time to come.

Never delt with'em, I use the Hamer fan club site.

This is one 13 guitars I have right now. This was the least expensive and it is my favorite. Most guitars seem to be 1 or 2 trick ponies but this one can change with my mood. The sound just kills...I've use my bronco (amp),classic 30, and my MKII C+...can't beat the sound. If I have to go down to one I'll keep this one.

This Hamer was made in the USA in 1987. It has 24 medium jumbo frets, with a solid body. one volume one tone and a 5-way switch with s/s/h. Pick-ups are emg with active electonics. Neck is rock maple, body is honduras mahogony. Stat body style with a floyd rose tremolo, schaller tuners.

I'm strictly a gospel-blusy player with an agressive attack. I play thru a hot-rod deville with 4 tens and chorus, delay effects. This guitar is quieter than any gibson I've played. The pick-ups are very rich and full, just right for the beautiful honduras mahogany body with a set rock maple neck. You can play metal-rock-blues, just about any sound you looking for. No dislikes about this Hamer.

This guitar has great action and the capability to be set up just the way you like it. The finish is the only flaw, needs more applications of lacquer and detail to the headstock.

It definitely will take an agressive attack. Hardware in a class with gibson. No need for a back-up guitar, only extra strings.

The customer service reps were very friendly and knowledgable about this hamer chaparral 1987 model.

I've been playing for fifteen years, own gibson sg, gibson special double cut-ta-way. I would definitely get another Hamer USA chaparral. I love the overall feel of the neck and the balance while holding the guitar. The favorite feature that I'm impressed with is the strength in the sound of s-s-h configuration. I chose this hamer because of the powerful sound and it's a usa model.

1986 and 1987 Chaparral, both USA, both 24 fret Rosewood board, both set neck, both dot inlays, both S-S-H, both 'super' strat style, both Floyd Rose originals. Both long scale fretboard, frets medium wide and medium high, somewhere in-between old Les Paul frets and modern jumbo 'railroad tie' frets. Ivory white one: EMG-81 (silver logo) humbucker, stock single coils, back of neck is bare wood, individual switches for each pickup, input jack on body. Black one, original Seymour Duncan Trembucker, S/D Classic Stack in middle, S/D Hot Rails in neck, single 5-way toggle switch, three individual pickup coil tap switches for each pickup, back of (was) neck painted, input jack on side of body. Don't know what kind of wood in body but they're heavy guitars.

Great sound. My style is metal, trash thrash, but mostly good ol' R&Roll and whatever I'm in the mood for. Amps: Peavey Classic 2x12 tube, ADA MP1 tube, Alesis 3630 soundgate / compressor, Alesis Quadraverb (sometimes, not often). Actually, guitar sounded gr8 from factory. Not sure why I decided to play with pickups, probably young and stupid with too much money, but basically, the EMG and Trembucker rocks, the Hot rails in neck position DOESN'T, the classic stack rocks, and the factory pickups (I wish I knew where they are) rocks. EMG definately hands down gives greatest R&R modern distortion megadeth metallica soloing ultra modern tone, but it sucks for clean tone. Trembucker overall most versitile pickup, sounds great in all apps. Classic stack sounds just like a strat pickup, very nice clean. Hot rails, too much hype, not bad but very humbucker like sound in single and dual-coil modes. Despite all these mods, still feel factory pickups sounded awesome! Lots of mid.

Don't know what factory setup was, bought them both used. Black one had since 17 years old, white one recent rescue. I like medium high action, finish on white guitar has finish cracks all over body. Cannot see unless you look really close but they are there. This is definately not my doing, it's a factory thing. Not thrilled about that. Black guitar worn out beyond belief but it is my fault - was young, stupid, disrespectful, and ungrateful of such a fine instrument. Oh, another thing, don't like painted neck backs, easy to fix - take off all finish, sand, apply oil with 4-600 grit wet/dry sandpaper, wax. Overall, fit and finish held up ok for 14 - 15 years.

Not bad. Broke the headstock clean off the neck a couple times on the black guitar. Ya, maybe because of recklessness, but first time it happened, I just lightly stepped on guitar on floor. Upon closer inspection, neck is set back at an angle (sort of like a les paul, not like a fender) so when it's back on floor part of weight rests on headstock. Not like say, a fender when it's flat on it's back, headstock not supporting guitar. The headstock was internally splined and repaired. Second time, it was on a stand, tripped on strap, it fell forward onto a piano and broke clean off again - not at same place (glue joint did not show) so I cannot fault repair. Yes, it shouldn't have been on the floor, and I should have taken the strap off before putting it in stand etc... but these things happen, I feel guitar should be able to hold up to *some* abuse. Finish completely worn off black guitar, but that's from overuse, not factory problem. Also, the knife edges on the Floyd Rose are dull on the black one, but again, that's normal wear and tear from teenage rock star fantasy abuse. Also, both of the metal post inserts in the wood got loose in the black guitar but this is almost expected considering how much use I put on the black one. Easy fix, may not be factory problem. Who knows.

Never was under warranty in my hands.

I've been playing guitar for about 15 years, since I was 13 or 14 years old. Was a piano player since young. Definately not a true professional, ie: never made a 'comfy' living off music, but lots of various experience. Quite possible the absolute best guitar I've ever played. Thankfully, it's severely and tragically underrated which makes it fairly cheap to buy. I just plain don't like fenders, not into paleontology(sp?) ie: vintage dinosaur things, but I've had fair share of various guitars I owned or played. If it were stolen or lost, yes, I'd definately get another one. Other guitars I use a lot include a Les Paul, and Jackson Soloist. Both very nice but not nearly worth the $ compared to Chaparral - not even close. What don't I like about Chap? Don't like 'moderate' body finish quality, don't like worrying about broken headstocks - should be able to take *some* abuse! Why I like it? Factory frets that don't feel like rail-road ties, big heavy guitar, ultra-reliable, easy access to all frets, long scale, dont feel like I'm playing at belly-button on upper frets (like Jackson), rosewood fretboard smooth and fast, doesn't play the 'endorsement' game so very reasonable price, people (ie: pawnshop) don't know what the hell it is - great price, for the same reason the headstock breaks - I like the playability of the neck that is set far back. Favorite feature: definately the weight - feels like I'm playing a rock solid guitar, feels very well balanced and solid. Quality from factory - little things like the pot / switch cavity is lined with a type of tin plating to electrically shield it (including cover plates). Despite a couple drawbacks, I have to give this guitar a 10. I have two, but would gladly get another one. Maybe red.