HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

[DotNetTim]

Anyone own or have you ever owned a Jap made HM strat? This one has a Flody Rose PRo trem, HSH config.. I'm wondering about the quality.. The ad says it has an Ibanez like neck, very lightweight and resonant, killer floyd, etc.. Just curious about any recommendations.. I'm also wondering if I could later use a warmoth neck since I read on Harmony Central awhile back that these guitars have a shorter scale length of 25" (Supposedly where PRS got the idea?) and that a standard Fender neck woudn't fit.. I'm wanting the guitar so I could stick a birdseye maple neck on it.. It would look so good since it's black with black trem and black hardware.. A warmoth birdseye maple neck with black hardware would be the trick! hehehe
Tim

 

[some_dude]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

Here's mine;

http://home.cogeco.ca/~screamingdaisy/New_Folder/Mar26_02 5.jpg

http://home.cogeco.ca/~screamingdaisy/New_Folder/Mar26_02 7.jpg

Mine's the USA built model.

They have a 25.1 scale length and a 24 fret neck. Warmoth only makes 25.5 and Jag/Mustang scale length necks. You could try contacting them to see if they can custom make what your looking for, or find another luthier who'll do it for you.

The neck is really thin compared to my MIM Standard Strat. It comes unfinished with jumbo frets and is really fast. Mine has a regular Strat headstock, but the tuners (Gotoh) are really solid (not that it really matters since it has a locking nut).

The body is basswood, which I'm told is roughly somewhere between mahogany and alder in tone, but the shorter scale also gives it more growl than your regular Strat. Mine came with the Kahler tremolo, which is similar to the Floyd Rose, but is a little less brite sounding. Either way, it'll stay in tune for weeks at a time.

Any other questions?

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

I was just curious about the neck becuase the one I want has a pointy almost jackson like headstock, and I'd prefer the standard Strat style headstock like yours.. What a shame that it's going to be hard it looks like to get a replacment neck.. The one I'm looking at is configured with a Floyd Rose Pro trem, HSH pickups.. Two Dimarzro's..

Does your guitar have Dimarzios? I hear they came with Susper Distortions or the Super 3 Dimarzio.. Wondering how it sounds.. I hear they are crunch machines.. The one I want is a 1990 model.. I'm thinking of selling my guitar to get one of those..

What do you think of the Spider trem? Is it stable and does it take abuse? Can one get parts for it if needed? I ask because he has another one that is this pink color.. But I don't care.. Only a real man would play a pink strat..hehehehe.. Just kidding,.. but really, I only want a guitar that's lighter weight.. and my custom washburn isn't heavy, but too heavy for me as I have an illness.. So I need a lighter weight strat style guitar.. It's between one of these HM's or an Ibanez or a new Jackson DXMG in forest green with one of their trems.. but I'm not sure how well the Jackson stays in tune..

Also, see the pics enclosed.. The black one has no truss rod adjustment that I can tell, yet it has this hole (see second pic) in the bolt on neck plate? Is that for truss rod adjustment ya think? I'm baffaled about that..
Tim

Thanks so much
Tim

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

In case I didn't ask.. Can one get replacement parts for the Khalor type trem?

Tim

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

I had one. I HATED the kahler trem on it. It was a USA model. One of the last two black dual humbucker HM strats the factory shipped out as a matter of fact. The line moved to Japan after that. Other than the seriously poopy kahler spyder trem, it was a decent guitar with a good neck.

 

[Farkus]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

I was just curious about the neck becuase the one I want has a pointy almost jackson like headstock, and I'd prefer the standard Strat style headstock like yours.. What a shame that it's going to be hard it looks like to get a replacment neck.. The one I'm looking at is configured with a Floyd Rose Pro trem, HSH pickups.. Two Dimarzro's..

Does your guitar have Dimarzios? I hear they came with Susper Distortions or the Super 3 Dimarzio.. Wondering how it sounds.. I hear they are crunch machines.. The one I want is a 1990 model.. I'm thinking of selling my guitar to get one of those..

What do you think of the Spider trem? Is it stable and does it take abuse? Can one get parts for it if needed? I ask because he has another one that is this pink color.. But I don't care.. Only a real man would play a pink strat..hehehehe.. Just kidding,.. but really, I only want a guitar that's lighter weight.. and my custom washburn isn't heavy, but too heavy for me as I have an illness.. So I need a lighter weight strat style guitar.. It's between one of these HM's or an Ibanez or a new Jackson DXMG in forest green with one of their trems.. but I'm not sure how well the Jackson stays in tune..

Also, see the pics enclosed.. The black one has no truss rod adjustment that I can tell, yet it has this hole (see second pic) in the bolt on neck plate? Is that for truss rod adjustment ya think? I'm baffaled about that..
Tim

Thanks so much
Tim

The pink one is USA make right? I have one of those in blue and it says 'made in USA' on the neck plate...I have a HR in the neck and a Jb in the bridge.

Farkus

 

[BluesJunkie]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

I had a late 80'/early 90's Squier version, but I don't guess that really counts.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

The USA made ones came in several finishes. I'd like one in pink with a maple board, a la Greg Howe...

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

The way I understand it, even if they say "USA " on the Plate, they were made in Japan.. The pink one is made in japan and I know this because the guy sent a picture of the neck taken off and it says so in the neck pocket.. So does the black one for that matter..
Tim

The pink one is USA make right? I have one of those in blue and it says 'made in USA' on the neck plate...I have a HR in the neck and a Jb in the bridge.

Farkus

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

Yeah, that counts.. I'd like to know your impression.. The only difference was they were made in Korea or Japan I guess.. Don't know.. The one's I'm thinking about getting though are made in Japan..

Anyone know where to get Parts for the Khalor Trem? Didn't they start their company again? I heard they were back in business?

Tim

I had a late 80'/early 90's Squier version, but I don't guess that really counts.

 

[some_dude]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

Kahler apperently stopped making bridges years ago because of a tiff with Floyd Rose. I saw a link on the SD forum about a week ago saying he was back to making them. In which case, it should be easy to find parts once again. Also, I see Kahler parts on ebay all the time.

The Kahler trem is really stable. Some people say it's better than a Floyd Rose Original, some people say it isn't, I'll leave that for you to decide. I can flail it all over the place and it stays in tune, that's all I need to know. It also has really good sustain.

The truss rod adjustment is in the normal Strat location (under the nut), but it's alot harder to notice on these because the hole and the headstock are both painted black. The hole in the neck plate is for adjusting the neck angle so it both lines up with the bridge and gives you a really low action.

Mine is an '89 and comes stock with a Super Distortion. If that guitar that you're looking at is a '90 is should be MIA as they stopped making them in Japan in '88 (or so I thought).

I get more crunch out of my HM strat (with a Super Distortion) than I do out of my Standard Strat (with a JB). I think the shorter scale length dulls some of the typical Strat quack, and gives it a little more grunt (good descriptors, eh?).

 

[some_dude]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

The way I understand it, even if they say "USA " on the Plate, they were made in Japan.. The pink one is made in japan and I know this because the guy sent a picture of the neck taken off and it says so in the neck pocket.. So does the black one for that matter..
Tim

Mine was MIA. They were only MIJ until 88. From 89 until 92 they were MIA. Some 89's were also leftover stock from 88 assembled in 89.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

I bought mine in 92 or so. The kahler trem arm got sloppy and you had to buy some extra kit to make it not be sloppy. NO trem should be designed to become sloppy and require some extra part to fix it. THAT MAKES ME VERY VERY MAD!

 

[stratsandaks]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

I used to have a pink USA HM identical to the one in the first picture, same color pink as well, I think the later ones were more reddish in color.... like the ones seen in the Greg Howe ads all the time in the 80's.

The quality of the guitar was excellent, and I had no problems with the Kahler Spyder staying in tune, but it didn't have that same 'feel' as an original Floyd.

The neck was really wide and had a nice satin finished C shape to the back, I loved the neck!!!

Mine had a Super 3 in the bridge and 2 American standard Strat pups, I hated the Super 3 it just wasn't my thing. In true 80's fashion... I tried a PAF Pro and a Full Shred at the bridge, they were closer to the sound I was looking for but I ran out of money to experiment and sold it to pay for the '89 Standard in my avatar.

Wish I still had it now, I'd replace the Kahler with an OFR and replace the pups with some Duncans.

 

[DotNetTim]

Re: HM Strats.. Anyone have one? What ya thinK?

Is it hard to replace the Spider trem with a real floyd? Just curious?

Tim