Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

Just Slap a Chibson Logo On It(?)


Recommended Posts

Competition for the new imports? And if you buy 20 or more, they are less than $200 each. ;) And apparently actual veneer rather than fotoflame.

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=610420indio.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Steve Haynie said:

If they are as good as the sample in the photos makes them look that is a steal. 

Maybe they slowly release toxic chemicals or something.

Definitely some off-gassing going on there 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From that pic, the headstock looks more Huber-ish. :ph34r:

If they play half as good as they look they will be worth it. Monoprice is a weird company, they keep going in different directions, probably because they've been sold a few times now. But they have mostly maintained a good value for price reputation. I like their cables, that's how I found out about them years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I ordered a blue quilt-top Strat copy for $199 + $24 shipping. Worst case scenario, there's a local music program that can use a guitar that plays well but sounds like crap. I plan on using it to experiment with pickups and wiring and stuff. It's either a good foto-flame or perhaps really a maple veneer, definitely has a Wilkinson bridge (and I suspect tuners) and being Strat-like I can do tons of fiddling and Frankenstein experiments, I guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, polara said:

I ordered a blue quilt-top Strat copy for $199 + $24 shipping. Worst case scenario, there's a local music program that can use a guitar that plays well but sounds like crap. I plan on using it to experiment with pickups and wiring and stuff. It's either a good foto-flame or perhaps really a maple veneer, definitely has a Wilkinson bridge (and I suspect tuners) and being Strat-like I can do tons of fiddling and Frankenstein experiments, I guess.

Cool. Look forward to your impressions. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

According to their info, it is actual veneer.......1/32", so don't plan on any serious sanding.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It arrived yesterday.

ARRIVAL

Was playable out of the box but the bridge was set high and saddles low, tuners were a little loose, strings were very light and the thing wouldn't stay in tune, normal "just shipped from Asia" setup was needed.

Put NYXL 10s on it, lowered the bridge posts and raised the saddles, got the intonation in the ballpark, bridge floating, tuners snugged up. An hour of work. Here are my impressions.

BODY

Looks better in person than the photos. The maple veneer is very attractive and wraps around the bevel of the body. It's better than my Strat Plus Deluxe. FInish is flawless, neck is tight in the pocket, pickguard is 3-ply beveled, no gaps or waviness. Pickups have staggered poles and were very close to the strings, so I lowered them.

NECK

Neck is satin finished with gloss on the headstock face. It was slightly over-tight, so I backed off the truss rod so it's now flat, with no particular wave or twist. Medium, comfy profile. Frets are not that big, maybe straight-up "medium" and were astonishingly well finished, with no sharp edges. Tuners are much better than I expected, and the nut keeps the strings at the correct height and doesn't seem to bind.

BRIDGE

The Wilkinson bridge has a press-in arm with adjustable tension and is similar to the Wilkinsons on Hamers. Pretty simple setup.

SUMMARY

Unplugged it sounds fine and feels fine. The satin neck is really nice, and I have no complaints about the guitar. In terms of it not being a Suhr, G&L, or even US Fender: the look and feel of tuners and bridge is functional but not slick, frets are not highly polished with bullet ends, I suspect the little screws and stuff will rust faster than top-level ones, it's not a deep maple cap but a veneer. Little things like rolled fretboard edge and the overall luxury feel aren't there. I've seen fancier finishes but it is mirror-smooth, even and professional.

But above a price point you're paying for handwork and attention to detail, not functionality. The beauty of the initial Leo Fender design is that is is a straightforward piece to manufacture and repair. A couple generations of experience and the technology of CNC tools have made it almost a challenge to build a truly crap Strat, and it's easy to customize. Playing the Indio unplugged, it feels fun, natural, and completely gig-worthy. I got it as a platform to learn how to level and crown frets, play with more wiring stuff, and have as a travel/emergency/kid guitar. It's much better than that: I don't need to do any fretwork and honestly it would be silly to replace the hardware unless it wears out. You can go to any pawnshop or Guitar Center and get a beat Squier or Pacifica for $100 or less to do that kind of workshopping, but I think this guitar is a cut above the really cheap stuff, and is closer to the Michael Kelly or even Supro level of Chinese work.

This afternoon I'll go to the rehearsal room and plug in. Goodness knows what the pickups are like: I may add to this post  the story of how I threw it into a dumpster once my ears stopped bleeding. They may be brilliant. I suspect I'll stick something like Lace Sensors or EMGs in it: not my favorite sound but sometimes I like some Billy Corgan or Gilmour hi-fi cleans and this is a great platform for that.

PHOTOS (off the site but mine looks identical)

 

6104045.jpg

6104043.jpg

6104041.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2017-08-24 at 11:13 PM, dhuber said:

I have seen uglier headstocks.  

I haven't seen any Heritage smack talk as of late, so....yeah, Heritage for one ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pickups were kind of shrill. I'm sticking some EMGs in just so I have that sound. Cheap enough (found a used set) and will make it more useful. Plays great apart from a kind of clangy edge to the sound.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gibson revived the Kramer brand in, oh, 99/2000 time frame with the internet-direct MusicYo brand.  I was just getting into guitar and to me a guitar had always been a pointy Pacer/Striker with HSS pickup configurations and a Floyd Rose.  I bought three or five from them, prices ranging from $75 for a cheap but functional strat clone to $400 for top of their line, with the sweet spot centering around $200.  

They were shockingly well put together of Korean manufacture and let me explore different types of guitars on the cheap.  These led to Xaviere, Hamer imports, and ultimately home to Hamer USA.

Sounds like Monoprice is offering much the same.

Enjoy the project.  Their Tele clone also looks pretty.

6104556.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...