Charvel Glow, Hamer SS3, Washburn SS40
The story begins with the Glow Charvel/Jackson, and continued at Hamer guitars, when Steve asked Jol Danzig for a bolt on necked guitar.
The SS-1 and SS-2 Hamers all were neck through design, with various scale lengths and specifications, which deserve their own chapters. The angled pickup theme was a constant for Steve though, as were the top mount flush fitting Floyds.
The guitar that Steve had Hamer build and he played towards the end of the first stint with Billy Idol and through the Atomic Playboys, became known unofficially as the SS-3.
The incredible Hamer SS-3, part of the lineage of the SS 80 guitar, starting with the Jackson/Charvel “Glow”
Above is Steve Stevens playing a Hamer SS3.
This came in various configurations, some with reverse headstocks and various pick up arrangements. The specifications for these guitars eventually turned up in production by Hamer as the Centaura model (as shown below).
Personally I feel the true specs of the SS-3’s played by Steve ended up being the starting point for the eventual gestation of the Washburn SS 80 model guitar.
The SS-3’s had a H/B in the bridge position and a single coil in the neck, also at an angle.
Steve had a very beautiful white example with no fret board markers. All of these guitars had top/flush mounted Original Floyd Rose Tremolos and most often a single volume control, with the stadium Hamer logo and the SS signature on the head stock.
Here is a pic of Steve holding a Hamer Californian Elite during a photo shoot with Michael Jackson
Steve in reality was still searching for a guitar builder that could match the feel of the neck of his Glow.
One of the most dynamic aspects of the American built Washburn Steve Stevens models, is the necks, to me that also is the essence of a fine Hamer or the preceding Jackson/Charvels.
To some the necks have an more solid feel to them and to me they are exactly perfect to the hand. The oil finish is superb and the quarter sawn maple necks are just awesome.
In fact they have the feel of a vintage Gibson neck in many regards, with the modern radius, thus making them an unusual, but very effective hybrid.
The USA produced models, the SS 80’s and the Frankenstein graphic SS 100, were produced in very small numbers indeed.
The majority of Washburn SS guitars produced, were the Korean manufactured SS 40’s…
Washburn SS40
These were the majority of the Washburn SS guitars produced, to me unfortunately as one cannot add even two SS 40’s to make one SS80!
They have the same body wood as the US versions, Poplar and the necks were one piece maple neck and fingerboard with skunk strip insert for the rear mounted truss rod. The fingerboards had pearl inlays.
All of these guitars have the hex headed truss rod adjustment, though curiously in the Washburn 1993 catalog, the SS 40 example pictured is shown with a ‘pinwheel’ truss rod adjuster.
As I will detail in the SS 80 section, the truss rod adjustment detail, varied until the final spec was decided upon, according to Terry Atkins, the pinwheel type was basically fitted to all of SS’s personal SS 80 guitars, but ultimately the feature decided upon, was the conventional adjustment method.
The Korean versions were produced by Samick.
The equipment used to cut the bodies and necks was not of the same quality as the USA models and the dimensions were not the same. These guitars may look somewhat similar from a distance, but they are not even close, the closer they are examined. The production of the SS 40’s commenced right away in the chronology of SS guitar production.
Also the pickups were foreign manufactured angled Washburn Eliminators, with a white W placed on the middle of the pickup pole piece facing the neck.
Significant differences existed in the bridge selection as well, a Washburn foreign sourced 600-S Pro Floyd tremolo system was utilized .
Gold hardware, with sealed 15:1 die-cast gold tuners.
22 jumbo nickel silver frets were fitted to the fingerboard.
The guitars only came in black, with a gold plated knurled volume knob and gold plated switch with black switch tip.
I am not aware of the extent of the quality of the electronics or of the control cavity exhibiting shielding paint as did her USA sister model.
My experience of SS 40’s is confined to seeing them misrepresented on Ebay as US made SS 80’s, until it is pointed out to the seller in the comments that this in fact is the case.
The neck plate is gold but with black relief and vastly different from the US models engraved gold neck plates. See accompanying pictures.
Also there is no serial number stamped on the back of the headstock as on the US versions.
The serial number is located centrally on the neck plate, engraved in a gold window, syrrounded by a black painted area, with the Washburn name also in gold with a strip or angled line below it also in gold.
The words Hand Crafted Since 1976 appear below the serial number
Also common for these Korean made guitars is a clip on the back of the headstock, holding the two different sized adjustment allen wrenches for the guitar, a feature never seen in the US models.
Also the control cavity cover is a slightly different shape on the SS 40 from the SS 80, with a squared off corner shape on the SS 40, whereas the SS 80 cover is more elliptical in shape, in a similar area.
They are in fact two completely different shapes altogether.
This is the SS 40, note the shape of the control cavity cover, also I am not sure if this particular instrument has been resprayed, but notice the rough finishing in the tremolo cavity area.
Also one can see clearly the strap button is of the conventional style, the gold label on the heel of the neck is visible in this photograph
Here is my SS 80, notice the shape of the controls cover is markedly different..
I believe all these variations were to prevent what was tried anyway, to present an SS 40 for resale, as a much more expensive USA built guitar.
The strap buttons are of the normal variety.
A very significant variation is seen on the body colored headstock face, where the script Washburn logo is featured in white, without the Steve Stevens signature decal and some earlier versions do have a printed Steve Sevens signature model in thin bold white lettering, but this is of a different font than the US guitars for the most part.
In fact I’m fairly sure with what went down, all references to Steve Stevens name was removed from the guitars all together, eventually.
In the catalog a picture of an unsmiling SS is placed behind the SS 40, expressing the total disassociation between Steve and these frankly inferior quality (compared to the US models, but also reflected in the price).
The Korean manufactured SS 40’s being much less expensive than their USA counterparts.
As I mentioned I have seen all sorts of ‘modified’ SS 40’s for sale, some have pickup surround mounting rings fitted, why I do not know.
Some are resprayed other colors, I have seen examples with darker colored tinted wood faced headstocks with script Washburn logos fitted, but absent of any SS identifiers.
Also I have pictures of artificial Frankenstein’s and even Count Dracula graphics, these definitely being SS 40’s from the distant pictures I have of them.
It is my feeling that the prevalence of the SS 40’s, their sheer numbers in the marketplace and their patently inferior quality, has devalued the prices of the real USA guitars over the years since 1993.
In the SS 80 section I will highlight some of the tomfoolery that went on post SS’s departure in Washburn’s attempts to clear the remaining guitars they had left, post Steve leaving.
They were/are in the business of selling guitars to be fair, so buyer beware, especially around these variants.
These guitars may look somewhat similar from a distance, but they are not even close, the closer they are examined, the more obvious the variances.
They are not a poor mans SS 80 by any means.
Do I have any love for these? Sorry, I do not, but there is more to all this than the obvious…