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The worst hamer usa


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On 4/25/2018 at 1:09 PM, BubbaVO said:

The ones with dead spots on the neck.

That was my setneck Cruise bass. Thunk on the G string from 3rd fret thru 5th.  No tech or luthier could figure it out.  Most said that its not uncommon on the Fender basses and copies to have that problem.  one of the luthier types said that Leo would make a shallow hole the size of a quarter in the back of the headstock and glue a couple quarters into the hole.  That particular guy tried it out on one of his 4-strings and it did indeed fix the problem.  Sheesh Leo its not that long of a drive from Fullerton to Pasadena. Maybe the genius physisists at the JPL coulda solved that problem in a more elegant fashion.   But Leo's solution gives a little bit of that bailing wire & quarters & duct tape mojo elegance to it.  That garage band feel. 

On 4/25/2018 at 7:58 AM, bubs_42 said:

Eclipse, nothing but a tweaked special. 

Sorry bubs_42  but the USA Eclipse is one of my fave Hamers. Its the ergonomics.  to each his own. Tummy cut, forearm relief, some people have issues with the SD Mini hums.  I did too until I took the time to sit down with it, play it thru different amps and tweak all the knobs.  It was very nice on my Mesa MK IV on channel 2.  Also had a Mirage II that didn't stay too long around here.  Awesome Koa top,  heavy as hell but it turned me on to locking tuners.  from there on out almost all my guitars got locking tuners.  I never could get the hang of that "put the string thru the hole in the peg, now wrap it around, blah blah blah......that .010 E always seemed to find that spot between a fingernail and a fingertip. "AAHHHH, son of a bitch."   

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  • 2 weeks later...
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aesthetics can be argued. but I will swear up and down that every USA Hamer I've played had a certain feel - and by feel I mean the mechanical aspect of plucking strings - that was distinctive, consistent, and excellent.

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If adding a little mass to the headstock removes, or shifts, dead spots, that should mean that tuner buttons made of metal versus plastic or wood buttons should affect dead spots. 

Someone who switched to pearl white plastic buttons could put one gold button on their guitar and claim that it enhances the tone while having the cool look of a gold tooth. 

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On 4/25/2018 at 6:45 AM, Funky Chicken said:

It may be a copy but most consider it an improvement. The argument could be made that without the Standard and its association with Rick Nielsen, Hamer may have not gotten off the ground.

Yep, ya gotta start somewhere, and all kinds of companies start by copying a product leader to learn how to master building a classic.

Canon's first camera was a detailed copy of a Leica III in the '50s, and that was the start of something big.

CanonLeica-2.jpg

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1 minute ago, Toadroller said:

Wow, that's a detailed copy!

Yep, right down to the materials and build quality. The only noticeable differences are that the Leica's body ends are rounded and the Canon's are angled, and the layout of the rangefinder windows on the upper front are different.

We can all recall that this is also how Univox, (later Aria), Alvarez, Ibanez, El Greco, Tokai, and other Japanese brands got noticed and competitive.

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On 5/11/2018 at 12:23 AM, Caddie said:
  On 4/25/2018 at 5:58 AM, bubs_42 said:

Eclipse, nothing but a tweaked special. 

Caddie said:

Sorry bubs_42  but the USA Eclipse is one of my fave Hamers. Its the ergonomics.  to each his own. Tummy cut, forearm relief, some people have issues with the SD Mini hums.  I did too until I took the time to sit down with it, play it thru different amps and tweak all the knobs.  It was very nice on my Mesa MK IV on channel 2.... 

What Caddie said. I'm curious to know whether bubs_42 owned an Eclipse.

I owned two, a standard model with a wraptail and an Eclipse 12.

The Eclipse 12 could completely cop that jangly Rickenbacker 12 sound, but you didn't have to wrangle it, just play it.

Eclipses are incredibly ergonomic. They are fairly light, they balance really well, they are astutely sculpted as Caddie mentions with the tummy cut and forearm relief. Their upper fret access is about as good as it gets. The mini-buckers' default sound splits the difference between P90s and humbuckers.

I have to ask:

What's not to like?

... except taking the time to get the guitar and amp settings to something you really like. But then, there are always pedals and effects if you want. But played clean, I can't think of anything you'd modify on an Eclipse-12. It's a jangle machine you don't have to wrangle.

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On 5/24/2018 at 6:05 PM, JohnnyB said:

What Caddie said. I'm curious to know whether bubs_42 owned an Eclipse.

I owned two, a standard model with a wraptail and an Eclipse 12.

The Eclipse 12 could completely cop that jangly Rickenbacker 12 sound, but you didn't have to wrangle it, just play it.

Eclipses are incredibly ergonomic. They are fairly light, they balance really well, they are astutely sculpted as Caddie mentions with the tummy cut and forearm relief. Their upper fret access is about as good as it gets. The mini-buckers' default sound splits the difference between P90s and humbuckers.

I have to ask:

What's not to like?

... except taking the time to get the guitar and amp settings to something you really like. But then, there are always pedals and effects if you want. But played clean, I can't think of anything you'd modify on an Eclipse-12. It's a jangle machine you don't have to wrangle.

Take a special, shave the lower horn, add a belly cut, wraptail and some mini hums and bingo you have an eclipse. I have never owned one, but I have played them. It was just very underwhelming. The 12ver may be a different story, but meh and I'm not a negative guy when it comes to Hamer Guitars. 

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On 5/24/2018 at 4:05 PM, JohnnyB said:

The Eclipse 12 could completely cop that jangly Rickenbacker 12 sound, but you didn't have to wrangle it, just play it.

No, not even close. I owned an Eclipse 12 and replaced it with a Ric 620/12. The string pairs are reversed on the Eclipse, and the pickups get nowhere near the sound of single-coil toasters, especially with both pickups selected.

Ergonomics suck on the Eclipse 12, too. Clumsy, fat neck and neck-dive for days, due to the +/- 1lb of tuner-button steel up top. Hamer got closer with the Newport, Chap and Proto 12s, but jangle is not a term usually associated with Hamer.

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On 5/4/2018 at 5:41 AM, Biz Prof said:

I am sure those are great guitars, but I, too, found that particular headstock an odd element of otherwise cool designs. 

It was bitten by a Carvin and got infected.

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