I can say this with certainty: The quality/feature set of the Gretsch guitars improved dramatically after Fender took Gretsch over. Fender fixed all the things that stopped me from bonding with a Gretsch. I now own three and they are just KILLER. e.g. Fender added trestle bracing (stopped uncontrollabel feedback), pinned bridge (stopped bridge from moving around on guitar top), locking Sperzels, real TV Jones (the Gretsch manufactured pup's SUCKED BONE), and Scaller strap locks. I think that Fender will make improvements to Hamer, frankly. I mean, gee, we may even get something other than the SD pickups in them that most folks swap out soon after getting the guitars. Maybe locking tuners too, so I can stop having to buy/install them every time I pick up a Hamer. And maybe Tonepros as standard fare? I DO think there is room for improvement at Hamer. They have maybe been a bit to insulated/isolated for too long. I think it will be good to have fresh faces ask new questions. Another upside is that they maybe will even get a larger R&D budget and be able to design/develop/introduce new models at a faster pace. ie Maybe we see a "Taladega" or two (or three) every year, instead of one every few years. I am sure this post puts me in the minority, but hey, I never colored within the lines anyway.