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Tone report


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I'll try to keep this short. At HFC7 I picked up a Special FM from BCR Greg that use to belong to StevieC. When I got back home I plugged it in to my 5150 head running a Marshall 1960 cab. The 5150 was giving me some problems so I didn't really get the chance to see what the Special could do. Since then I would basically play it unplugged.

Yesterday I went over to a buddies house to do some experimenting with the 5150 since he has one too. The idea was to swap tubes and try to narrow down the cause of my ailing amp. After some futzing around, the 5150 was back to her normal brutal self.

Well, well, well. Lets dime the bass and treble. Roll back the mids. Gain set to a comfortable 8. Volume...6, hey I need to hear the tones, don't I? James Hetfied would be proud!!! Mother of God...this guitar KILLS!!! I MEAN KILLS!!! Holy crap, was it brutal. My buddy has a Jackson USA Dave Mustaine which could not keep up. We played some Metallica, some Pantera, some Ozzy and the tone was just insane. I can not believe just how crazy cool this guitar is. Rolled back the gain and I swear I could hear a Angus/Malcolm tone blasting out of the Marshall.

After relaxing the volume and some of the settings, the Special is able to coax some incredibly bluesy tones. I am really floored by this guitar.

Greg & Steve...thanks dudes! Awesome tone machine.

Nick

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A Special FM was my first Hamer. It saw yeoman duty in a broad-spectrum cover band for several years as my "something with humbuckers" guitar and covered all the bases beautifully and played like a bat outta hell to boot.

Now, I'm up to a dozen Hamers and this is still one of the two humbuckered ones that I'll grab when it's time to go be wonderful.

Great guitars, often overlooked, though.

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I was so impressed with how it is able to deliver so much low end and at the same time be incredibly chimey. What I mean by this is, if you listen to Randy Rhoads (I bow before you!!!) on the live Tribute CD, in particular to a song like Children of the grave, he is riffing away at some very chunky chords and at the same time hitting some killer harmonics. The Special did exactly that. I know that the neck pick up is a Rio Grande but I'm not sure of the model. I don't know if the bridge pup is a Rio also. I'm hoping that Stevie or Greg can chime in and answer that question.

I would absolutely recommend these guitars to anyone who wants to cover a lot of tonal ground.

Nick

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An '80 Special was my first Hamer; it's now being brutalized by my headbanging nephew. Wonderful guitar. I shoulda made him wait 'till I died to let him have it. :blink:

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