Hamer Diablo USA

Hamer Diablo USA,mint cond, made around 92, bought off of ebay. Emerald green finish, black hardware, 24 fret, 25.5 inch scale. Floyd rose- Two humbuckers, neck hb is slanted. was told they are Dimarzios, i dont know what kind of Dimarzio,(possibly evolution and PAF pro) but they are suffciently hot. 3 way blade pu selector.
btw if a USA Diablo has a reverse headstock, like mine, that means its a limited edition- it should also have a birdeye maple neck.

Sounds good- between the humbuckers, tone and volume, you can get good tonal variety. the tone knob has alot of range. Keep in mind im running this into a roland microcube, thats it.
this ax has good sustain for a floyd rose bridge- both the floyd and humbuckers are routed directly into the wood of the body for added resonance. Im still learning this guitar, but i can get some good metal crunch, classic and clean tones. It seems the bridge pickup is brighter and more bell-like, more suited to leads. The neck is more subdued, better for rhythm playing and clean sounds. The middle position, is inbetween, but sounds more like the neck position.
I do wish it had a 5 way selector,to get coil tapped sounds.

The action was set up nice and low. No buzzing im aware of. The guitar seems very solidly built. The floyd keeps tune pretty well after divebombs, but is not perfect. Im thinking of blocking the floyd from going positive to increase stabilty and sustain.
The neck i like although it is kind of wide for my tastes. No baseball bat here. Its fairly thin almost like a 'shredder', but the fretboard is on the wide side. May just take some getting used to-im used to my ibanez ar-30 with its thin,narrow 24.75 scale neck.
Electronics seem fine...ive heard some say this guitar needs sheilding, well throgh my microcube im not hearing any humming,so ill wait on that.

Seems very solidly built and dependable. Of course its a floyd bridge,so youd have to have a backup.

Havent dealt with Hamer, not sure what kind of support theyd give for a USA model. Its probably not even the same company nowadays.

Nice guitar,well made. only wish it had the 5 way selector for more pickup combinations.
I was considering a kramer nightswan, i might like the neck/scale on one of those more. No doubt, the Diablo is a more versatile guitar than a nightswan. Im going to hang on to it for the meantime, although i may be putting it back up for sale on ebay if i dont adjust to the neck. One good thing is the USA Hamer Diablos keep their value well. I should be able to get my money back, if i chiose to sell.

I have a Limited Edition Diablo 1996. First of all get rid of those locking tuners! oh they're horrible; never work good always have been a problem for me. With some elixer strings though this rosewood jumbo fretboard does the job; but to an extent. The strings could be a little bit closer to the fretboard. It has a solid coat of ash paint

Wow the sound is awsome. I had some feedback problems with clean distortion on a Marshall valvestate 2000 on almost all settings I get feedback. But the overall sound is pretty good.

The finish was excellent and the guitar looks superb. The pickups weren't adjusted properly though and they tended to lean to a side after continuous play. Again those locks just aren't cutting it for me.

The one very problematic thing with this guitar is the hardware. I had wires coming loose all the time and all the companies that i took it to had no idea what they were doing. Product designer- you're fired. The finish is great though.

horrible customer support, I put as much into maintaining this guitar in the last 5 years than I did to pay for this overpriced $1200 guitar; even though i bought it for $850

even though I have had problems with the guitar ii was an eye catcher and had an awsome sound for grunge and metal. The only big problems were the locks and the hardware. Overall though I will be very sad to part with her because it isn't a strat or an ibenez and it sounds and feels better than them, (aside from a few ibenez)

I bought this in 92 it has the reverse 24 fret neck, emerald green finish and gold hardware

I'm really impressed with the versitility i can get from this setup with the standard pickups I play metal and i can get good dist and harmonics with it thru my 2120 processor
It doesnt come sheilded from the factory wich needs to be done or it can get a bit noisey

I bought it used so i had the frets dressed to my prefs

What can i say I went thru 10 guitars before i bought this one and havnt bought another one scince

I tried to get them to make me another one cept i wanted a red translucent finish they wouldnt do it

This is my favorite guitar I wouldnt give it up for anything just wish I could get another one

1992 Hamer Diablo USA made.

24 frets maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Neck is definitely thick and round, more like a strat than like a Jackson.
Big reverse headstock with Hamer/Schaller tuners.

Light alder body, aztec gold see-thru finish. Very small body (maybe 7/8 of a strat body), light, but sustain is definitely good.

1 volume pot, one 3-way blade switch, 1 tone pot; 2 humbuckers, neck is slanted. Stock Duncan TB4B "JB" and SH1N "59" that I replaced by DiMarzio Evolution (bridge) and PAF Pro (neck) to have real metal capacity (stock pups are ok for pop and rock, definitely not for metal).
Schaller Floyd Rose, Dunlop Straplok (stock!) black hardware.

Sold with Hamer USA tolex hardshell case.

I only play metal, but fell in love with the Diablos back in 1991!

The stock Duncan are very versatile except for metal, too "muddy" with huge distortion and too much mediums.

Now with the DiMarzio, my Diablo sounds pretty well, great grain, good gain, sharp crisp sound, all notes bark in your face, harmonics are easy to play.

I use it through a Triaxis/TC G-Major/Boss and Alesis 20+ bands graphic EQ, straight to the console or on a Marshall stack.

And this Diablo sounds great with those DiMarzio!

I had it tuned to my specs after purchasing it, now the action is as low as my Jackson, the tremolo springs have been padded to avoid hearing them resonate...

Since its a used guitar, there were a couple of very minor dings, but for a guitar built back in 1992, this Diablo is in an outstanding condition!

No rust, nothing loose, nothing!

Yep, this guitar has lived for 11 years now, and it will last even longer with a little care, like any guitar!

A backup is recommended when playing live, but, hey, thats the way it goes with any Floyd Rose equipped axe!

Never had anycontact with Hamer and now with Kaman :((

This guitar is rather cool, i always wanted to own one.
It is not my main guitar though, for the neck is a bit too thick, compared to my Jackson, but I play it very often anyway.

And i like its weight, its finish.

8/10 only because of the neck and the stock pups, but this guitar was not meant to be a metal machine before i set it to my taste!

The usual H/H arrangement (slanted at the neck), both good quality, high output Duncans. Mine is one of the Limited Edition sunburst models, with a deep, deep cherryburst and a hand-written "Limited 27 of 100" on the back of the headstock.

Floyd-type bridge is reasonable quality (German-made Schaller), but mine is absolutely fallinbg to pieces; the muppett who owned it before me stripped some threads.

Neck is flattish, but is thicker then the Jackson-Charvel shape I prefer. Frets are pretty skinny; again, not what I'm used to.

Use it with a marshall stack and it roars.
But compare it to my Gibsons, and it DOES sound quite tinny.
Still, not to worry. Crank up to ear-damage levels and all is well.

Bought used, but I spent #30 on a set-up and the action rivals my Jacksons and beats my Gibsons, as you'd expect.

I bought it WELL USED! The body and neck finish are worn, but are all holding it together. Who wants a pristine rock guitar anyway?

Everything has lasted this far, except the trem. New one on the way.

Been playing for 20+ years, have bought and sold more stuff than I care to remember, Gibsons, Fenders, and LOADS of Charvels (which I REALLY rate highly). I'd maybe buy another one, but I could probably manage without. Anythine else? YES!! Just install a genuine Floyd and charge us a few quid more!

Early 90's reverse headstock orange USA made Diablo. 24 fret (medium) Rosewood fingerboard. Medium chunky long-scale neck. Strat type body with deeper cutaways and deeper body contours. Floyd-Rose bridge with locking nut. It came with Seymour Duncan humbuckers but I replaced them with Rio Grandes (more later). The neck pickup is installed at an angle. Three way pickup selector, cable jack is recessed and installed in the side of the guitar. Solid Ash body. Strap-locks. High gloss finish

I play rock/pop and need a wide variety of sounds, from clean to shred. I use Tech 21 amps as well as a Fender Cyber-Deluxe. In general I use Fender type amp settings with just an edge of grit when the volume is rolled down but more available when I turn up and dig in. I removed the stock pickups and installed a Rio Grande Tallboy humbucker in the neck and a Rio Grande Muy Grande humbucker in the bridge position. These pickups are big (they are composed of two standard single coil pickups that are reverse-wound and harnessed together) and required some extra routing of the cavities. There is one volume pot and one tone pot and I installed push-pulls to split each pickup. This gives this guitar a wide variety of sounds. I primarily use a single coil setting but like the extra grunt available by engaging the second coil on occasion.

With this combination of electronics I can dial in most sounds I need on this guitar. The humbucking sounds are more open and bright than a typical bucker (think mini-bucker on steroids) and cuts through a mix well.

My idea of a perfect performing guitar would be a Telecaster sound in a Strat body that turns into a Les Paul for solos and sprouts a whammy bar on demand. This guitar does an admirable job of simulating this.

I bought the guitar used so I can't comment on the factory setup. I had the guitar professionally set up which included re-finishing and dressing the frets. Now the action is very low (much lower than I'm used to) and I find I can kick into an extra gear on this guitar because it is so fast.

The Floyd-Rose is a royal pain to set up but a joy to play.

The Floyd is showing its age and I've had to replace a couple of saddles (will probably have to replace some others soon). Since it is a Floyd you have to gig with a backup. Otherwise the guitar is solid: Hamer USA makes high quality guitars.

This guitar was dinged up when I bought it. It is certainly not a museum piece, but man, what a player!

Never dealt with them. There is a great support group available at www.hamerfanclub.com.

I've been playing 28 years and I have lots of guitars. When I play out I like to have one floating bridge guitar and one fixed bridge. Lately I've been gigging using this guitar and a Dean Tonic S. When I choose a gigging guitar I place versatility and ergonomics above everything else (I don't give a damn about trying to impress anyone with an expensive guitar or an amazing top). Just give me a great playing guitar that won't break my heart if it gets dinged up. I used to take my Parker Fly as my floating bridge guitar but the Diablo has supplanted it because it sounds so much better.

This guitar looks like a typical 80's shredder and therefore you can buy them for a song these days. I bought this guitar two years ago as a "change of pace" guitar and it has become my second most played guitar (behind the Tonic). It is dinged up and goofy looking, but man, what a player! I do get a kick out of showing up to a gig with it and then confounding everyone's expecations with its tones and range.

I'm not sure when the guitar was made, but i am definite of where it was made.It's a hamer usa-model diablo, 24 frets solid top double cut ash wood body( that's what the guitar salesman told me) ,maple neck,and rosewood fretboard.The axe has a strat body design except the headstock labelled HAMER usa. The neck is fender strat fat C shaped which gives u more feel and control when playin'.
Electronics-H/H configuration DIMARZIO passive pickups(i think they're of the TONE ZONEs), 3 way selectors(typical for H/H),a volume and tone control knobs.Bridge-double locking floyd rose licenced tremolo system made by schaller as well as its locking tuners.
Finish-it's black with gold flakes under the skin layer.(granite gold as it is mentioned on the tag). The guitar comes with an original hamer hardcase.I'll give a 9 for all the beauty in this axe.

I play from blues to metal even the nu's.My influence is more of vai's and petrucci's and I love beck's vibrato.Lets talk about the sound thing.The pickups are cool!They produce warm, bright, more of petrucci's ibanez+ strat(thats the best to say it!).You can play from blues to metal but the guitar is lack of the 'body' whoop for really heavy music,elsewhere the guitar is 'A' ok.I tend to compare all my guitars which is 7(2 ibanez-rg 570ex and rg 450,encore p29,yamaha pac112m,a rok axe, squier stagemaster deluxe and this guitar) of them.What I can say this guitar is the best for its all rounded sound versatility.

So far nothing much has been done to the guitar,few settings for my playing comfort.It's still in out of the box quality..Except some whacking for songs.Finish is superb..

I am using the guitar as my 1st and i think that the guitar will last..Still need a back up with my rg 570 subjected to kind of music I will play.

Never dealt with the Hamer company bfore but the sole distributer where I bought this guitar really suck!Those fellas don't know heck that much about guitars,service is bad and all they want is your money!Wanna know more..gotta email me for that.

I've been playing for more than 7 yrs and I just love this guitar.I'm looking forward to buy a prs but its kind of over-rated for its value.But definitely I'll buy one soon.If this guitar is stolen...Can HAMER replace or remanufacture a custom bcoz I don't think this axe has its twin here in Malaysia.Overall I wanna give this HAMER a 10 for its all rounder.

1993 USA Diablo with 24 frets. Solid-top with one volume, one tone and a 3-way selector. This guitar has a H/H configuration with Duncan JB at the bridge and a Duncan '59 at the neck position. The body is a very light weight Alder with a really nice tranparent hand-rubbed see through whitish (cream) finish. It is a rounded modified Strat style body which is not as angular as my Hamer Californian. The guitar came with a Floyd Rose with a locking nut and reverse headstock. The neck is very nice maple with medium jumbo frets and what looks like a Pao Ferro slab for the fingerboard. I have many guitars with rosewood fingerboards and this is lighter and has a different grain. It is a 25.5" scale length with a great neck pocket. This came with the original case and was basically NOD.

I play many different styles of music but this guitar fits almost any style of music. It is much more articulate than a Les Paul but has wonderful sustain and resonance. The shielded cavity is a work of art and it does not hum at all. It is a very full sound with enough bite to cut through but not shrill and never muddy. I'm going to add a pop-up volume pot so that I can through the JB into parallel, just to add some different flavor.

This guitar was set up very well with really nice low and fast action. The pickups were adjusted well and the Fit and Finish was superb. The only flaw was that two of the neck screws were slightly oxidized by someone with acidic hands. Other that that, you couldn't ask for better.

This guitar plays well live and in the studio. I've never had a problem and the guitar will last forever, but always bring a backup guitar to any gig. I've changed the strap buttons to locking buttons and I can depend on this guitar completely. Extremely stable tuning, but it's still a Floyd Rose bridge.

Never had to deal with the company.

I've been playing for a really long time and own many other guitars. This Diablo and my Hamer Californian are my two favorite guitars in my collection. If it were stolen, I'd look to replace it. It is one the the clearest, resonant, and quality sounding and playing guitars ever made. The only thing I wish is that the '59 pickup was four conductor instead of two so I could get more options out of it.

The guitar was made in chicago(one of the good ones, before hamer was bought out, and started useing wood that five years erlier they wouldn't have even used in the slammer series, and would have ended up in a cheap mexican fender)in 1996. 24 frets, swamp ash body, maple neck with a very nice piece of rosewood used for the fretboard, two humbuckers, a 3-way toggle switch, tone, volume, floyed rose( one of the good licensed ones)and a reverse headstock.

I play a varity of styles; ( by this I do not mean, metal, alt metal, and blues, sorry that just seems to be the blanket answer most guitarist give) I have played a number of records, and have "whoreed" myself out to some fairly well known bands. Through four years of pro/semipro playing I have used two main guitars, and one backup. This guitar is very versitile, although some people get hung up on the looks, it's kinda metal if your closed minded and think only old guitars are good. I use a laney gh100 through a 4x12, a vg-8 guitar synth, and a digitech rp-12. this guitar has a good resonant sound. the pickups are a little weak(genaric) but if you put in a bill lawrence it will liven up. It has a good midrange sound, not bad midrange but clear resonant, sg/acustic like woodines. I tend to be a noise/ atmosphere guitarist. My favorite guitarist are reeves gabriels, dave navarro, j yunger, and mick marrs. So I use this guitar past the normal guitar world of scales and modes, ( thought I know them) this guitar in the right hands are suited well.
If anyone saw praga kahn when they toured with lords of acid, that was me, and cristian death last tour that was me. I have done other show also

this is where the guitar shines, It is like the guitar play on "auto pilot" it is an excedeingly easy guitar to play, stays set up and stays in tune

five years of ownership, only been to the shop for custom work...that tell you anything?

up until 97 it was great, when I had my second diablo custom made they actually let my stay at one of there employes house when I went down there to work on it (i live in minneapolis). since then though they act like every other company. so I'm jaded the old company a ten, the new company a 7

I track down the usa made hamers so I obvioulsy like these, my gold standard diablo is always chosen over my prs...that tell you anything