Leaderboard

Elduave and I had an all-Hamer gig with The Tolerators on Sunday (St. Patrick's Day). He brought along both of his killer Superpros, and I had to dust off the Teal Green B-4M. I'll definitely be playing that one out more - I'd forgotten how fun that one is!

Years ago there was discussion concerning the different chambering Hamer used on their guitars. The whole idea of x-raying guitars to see the exact chambering came up. I tried back then but could never get the technique right with the old film unit I had access to. Flash forward to today and I thought, “hey, I’ve had a digital X-ray unit for the past 6 years, why haven’t I taken a spot shot of my Talladega...?” well, here you go. Behold, the chambering on a 2007 Hamer Talladega...

I bought a tube amp kit from Tube Depot. It's a JTM45 clone--50 watts; EL34 tubes. Very enjoyable to do, but not without frustration. The wiring isn't as neat as I wanted it to be, but it works. It's the first one I've ever built, so if I do it again, I'll how how to make the process easier. It took about 50 hours or so of assembly and soldering. I was very surprised the first time I turned it on--no smoke or fire! All the voltages were within specification. I haven't had the chance to crank it yet, but hopefully I'll be able to do it soon. I hope you enjoy the pics!

I finally received the long awaited email from Shishkov HQ that #84 is on it’s way! Even though tracking shows it’s only just left Connecticut, I still can’t help myself from staring out my front window almost constantly hoping I see the FedEx truck pull up early. Now I need to place another order with Mike, I’ve become accustomed to having something amazing in the works to look forward to.

Super impressed and excited, happy... you name it; this guitar is killer! #83 Ultimate in Silverburst, which I'm affectionately referring to as "The Metal Tuxedo". Because if I ever had a metal gig that required a tuxedo, this is the axe, hands down. All class with a metal attitude. Mike went above and beyond on this one. For those wondering, yes it was a long wait, but oh so worth it! I placed the order on 2/9/17 and received it 3/15/19. So two years basically, give or take. Trust me, Mike is good. I'm already contemplating jumping back on the list for another. Anyways... Specs: solid korina body with a plain maple top, ebony fretboard, MOP block inlays, Throbak DW-102B pickups, nickel Faber tone lock master kit, nickel Schaller tuners, multi-ply binding on the front & back, neck and headstock. Note: some pics do not have the black accents on the waist of the body and by the strap button because they were accidentally left out. Also, strap locks were changed to Schallers. Mike corrected it with lightning speed though! Big shout out to Trish for catching it before it shipped out! On to the pics!

I have a room full of examples for when you start the "Gear That Should Work But Doesn't" thread.

‘97 Mirage II I’ve been wanting one of these for years. Finally got around to making it a reality.

We have an album recorded. Will hopefully get it out before summer. This is the first song we release. Youtube only as of now. MIII content. Let me know what you think of the song! Love to get some feedback.

Sorry about the delay posting photos; I barely had time to get home to change and get to work yesterday afternoon after leaving GC. I hope to get some outdoor shots later today, but here is a quick photo I took with the iPad just now.

A Fender 72 Tele Custom FSR vintage reissue that I liked but didn’t play much because I somehow ended up with 3 other humbucker necked Teles after I bought the reissue, an Epiphone Elitist Sheraton minihumbucker that I really liked the tone of, but never played because of the skinny neck, several gift cards I had been sitting on and several hundred bucks equals the above photo. More details and photos to come!

Since the op is asking what we hate to see then for me it's a heavy relic, extra points for the finish over finish jobs.

And one with her older sister...

Okay guys.....Moment of truth.....Over a year and a half in. Is there a danger I got my hopes up too high? Well, believe the "hype". There is a reason for all the gushing reviews. There is always some question as to whether there is a glow around the "last in". Is it "confirmation bias"? I will just say that I am not going to miss the eight other guitars I sold recently, nice as they were. And will be planning to cut some more loose, beyond doubt. What is it? I decided my favorite combination was korina body (chambered) and neck. Ebony board as well as "trim parts". Redwood top. Inspired at least in part by my former CO Duo-Tone, I wanted the piezo feature. I had two pair of Gravelin pickups awaiting the "right" guitar. Josh gave me great advice on which set would be match my specs. Shipped them off to Mike. Judge for yourself.....I asked for korina and redwood. Here is what Mike found. Black limba with really nice colors, rather than a "plain white" limba. The redwood has some seeming mix of flame and quilt, with a sort of "chevron" that runs in two directions. My fear on the finish is that redwood, being a softwood, can tend to absorb a finish unevenly and turn "blotchy". I dare say Mike heard me and aced that too. My other specs? Long scale, coil splits, keep it fairly simple (like bypassing bigger and bolder inlays). In the process, upgraded the side dots to the lumilay type. I have not tried that in the dark yet. I have also not yet tried to stereo split to run into separate electric and acoustic amps. Oh yeah, Mike added a push/pull on the piezo volume knob. It allows two different EQs. For lack of a better word, one is more "dreadnought" the other brighter. Makes it all the better for mixing with the different pickup combinations.....Driven by a 5 way switch. I DO like binding and that is aces too..... FWIW, I do not always use a piezo. But I do like it......It can add a nice little bit of "crispness" when blended in lightly. And playing behind a singer, and especially if there is another guitarist, it makes it all the more easy to find the right spot in the mix. Mag pickups? Wow. They seem a perfect match.....I am sure Mike fine tuned them. Really pack a punch, but with a nice clarity. The action? My initial thought was maybe even TOO low. Plays so perfectly! And, it comes in under 7 1/2 pounds. Just delightful. I will definitely be spending more time with it. So far, I am experimenting with the different tones and seeing how they fit different tunes. As but one example, I am lately enamored of some Jeff Beck things.....Split the coils, add just a touch of piezo. Just a touch of dirt. (OK, search for JB doing the live version of "Sleepwalk" as my current example. Yeah, I know...Hardly RAWK!) No Strat whammy for his subtle little "tweedlies"? No problem. So easy to add some finger vibrato. And the little bit of piezo adds a little bit of "acoustic squeak" sliding on the strings. Yes, I can go on. Hope that gives a bit of feel for it. All I can add is, that if you are not already in line, you SHOULD be!

Let me know if you see any issues. There are a few new features along some substantial changes to theme files. Hopefully all is good. Testing as some have reported issues editing old posts.

2018 Custom Shop '58 reissue, CME did a limited run of these last year. 1 pc mahogany body, antiqued finish (darker than what it shows here). 7 lbs 11 oz, big neck. super clean, original owner had all the fixins and (I think) took all the depreciation it went off the grid from ups for a week, but arrived safely... let it sit overnite to acclimate, opened it up. ROCKS! pics, Happy Friday!

Lots of cool, new things going on right now - should be a great year!

Bring provisions and an indefatigable attitude. Your quest is noble, but futility will greet you, with scorning contempt, at every Guitar Center. In the form of a Stridex-dodging adolescent with a neck lanyard offering corporate affiliation yet inadequate credentials. Best advice is to get to know "scenesters" who already have too many LPs and lots of friends that kiss their ass and cycle through guitars (always looking for that one that will make them actually talented), Also, befriending luthiers or repair men that come into contact with that same clueless element. You know, that element that would buy a brand new guitar and then have it refretted with different wire because he heard that's what, say, John Sykes used it to record the first Whitesnake album. You want to send these repair guys gifts and give them lots of kudos on their Facebook pages. Love on them. Make flattering memes about them. Hint to them frequently what you are looking for, should it wander into their shop attached to a dissatisfied customer looking to "upgrade" to the latest thing. Keep capital reserves on hand. Be patient. Every good guitar has a great story. And if you can't play either, then at least you can tell the story to people fawning over your sweet LP. ...ot just get a Tokai like I did and have the headstock redone with a Gibson logo, because image is everything and I hate it when people get disillusioned that my gorgeous Slash Derrig lookalike is not actually authentic. Fuck them anyways, they need to grow up.

Let me first give a HUGE shout out to Steve Haynie. A couple of weeks ago, he messaged me to say he had won 2 tickets to tonight's KISS show in Louisville, was planning on driving over for the show and wanted to know if I wanted to join him. He assured me that the tickets were probably 300 level nosebleeds (he wouldn't know until he picked them up at Will Call). But it didn't matter, I couldn't turn down going to see KISS with a fellow HFCr. I've seen KISS in every decade they've been around, 70s (w AC/DC opening), 80s (Dynasty Tour), 90s (3 times on the Reunion Tour and the Psycho Circus Tour and the 00s (with Aerosmith). With the exception of the show w/ Aerosmith, where Tommy Thayer had replaced Ace, every show was the 4 originals. Turns out the tickets didn't suck. In fact, they were pretty spectacular. The first row off the floor right at the corner of the stage. I've seen shows from this vantage point and it's an awesome view. The elevation is about 3 feet off the floor with no one in front of us. Eye level is a couple of feet above the stage, so we really could see everything. Tommy, Paul and Gene all took turns playing right in front of us. I must say, we had a blast. The setlist spanned their entire career and hit the main high points. Everyone seemed to be on their game, vocals were strong and tight. I've heard some rumors that Paul has been using some backing tracks and lip syncing some, but I saw no evidence of that. Love 'em or hate 'em, they put on a great show. Thanks again, Steve, you're the best!!

I like 'em all forked up!

I suggest anyone reading this thread follow up with the Wikipedia entry to study the awesomeness of the event that Marc speaks of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozark_Music_Festival The band lineup is a who's who of American Rock at the time. This party was so off the hook it elicited a Missouri Senate Committee investigation, which concluded: Senate Committee report[edit] The Missouri Senate met in October 1974 and discussed the events of the music festival in the committee report. The report states that, "The Ozark Music Festival can only be described as a disaster. It became a haven for drug pushers who were attracted from throughout the United States. The scene made the degradation of Sodom and Gomorrah appear mild. Natural and unnatural sex acts became a spectator sport. Frequently, nude women promoted drugs with advertisements on their bodies."[3] Bummed I missed it, but I was cooling my heels in Catholic School In Lake Forest, Illinois. I really could have used a headful of windowpane about that time, too. Sister Joanna was a ballbuster.

After the news, I bumped my own thread about him, but I think it's better having one on its own, like this one. I was deeply touched when I read Lorna's last words, which were these: May our friend rest in peace... and may life after death be possible, only to be sure great guys like Dion keep on existing out there. He'll be missed!💔

And, in late breaking news........

I'm about a quarter way thru re-reading 'The Book': https://www.schifferbooks.com/the-ultimate-an-illustrated-history-of-hamer-guitars-5216.html ...and if any of you don't have it or haven't read it, you HAVE to get a copy. Amazing (even the 2nd time). Thanks Steve!

I have a very dear friend (a drummer) who was very ill with a serious lung condition about 5 years ago. He wrote to a few of his influences while he was in the hospital to thank them for their work. He got a package in the mail from Hal Blaine a few weeks later. It contained a hand written letter, and this- It's a bell from the bell tree he used on all of the Beach Boys stuff. That's the kind of guy we just lost. RIP Hal.

Just because the HVAC Guys is here installing my new heat pump and you guys need help to get through Monday!

They don't have vaginas.

Oh yeah.....Very nice fitted case as well.... And I SHOULD get pictures in a better light. One thing to add......It has the feel of more of a solid body than hollow, though the weight relief, even without the piezo, does give it a bit more of an "airy" feeling. How does ONE person manage to produce something so perfect? I know....Rhetorical question!

Got this from Facebook:

You ever see an instrument and just have to have it? Well, that's what happened here, and so glad it did. I just got it in yesterday, quick cleaning and gorgomyte treatment, fresh set of EBMM Cobalt flats and took her out last night to rehearsal. Plays very nicely, feels great in hand, not too heavy, perfectly balanced, and some great tones on tap. Very versatile with the 5 way switch. Just a hair over 9 lbs.

The editor cut a lot of stuff to get it to fit into the page count and format. There’s enough that didn’t make it for a second volume.

It doesn't have Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone?

I never met Dion, but we talked back and forth over Facebook and on this forum. He's been around since some of the early iterations of this board. I recall some of our first conversations at least 15 years ago about his playing of a black FBIV in his church's worship band, which we both thought was incongruously glorious and rebellious. He had a great sense of humor. That's the image I always had of him, and it seems particularly appropriate now.

My very first foray into MIJ guitars was my 2003 Tokai LS-320. It was top of the line at the time and it's incredible in every way. Honduras mahogany back & neck, solid flame maple cap, Brazilian RW fretboard, thin lacquer finish. Until recently, nothing that I've had my hands on ever came close. Recently, I picked up one I have pursued for awhile, a 1980 Greco EGF-1200. This one is actually challenging the Tokai for #1 status. Right now, lets say it's 1a & 1b. The 1980 and 1981 Greco Super Real series were hand made in the Fujigen factory with a great deal of care. Specs are similar to the Tokai (including Brazilian RW fretboard) except the 1200 has a flame veneer over maple cap and DryZ pickups which are very nice. The 1200 was built to copy a '58, so it has a fuller neck profile, subtle flame and thin frets. All in all, a fantastic guitar that plays and sounds as good as anything I've held.

Oh yeah... there was that whole period around late 79 to early 80 where they misplaced the tape measure and were just eyeballing stuff and fixing it under warranty. They managed to source a replacement around May of 80.

A few weeks and then it’s time to collect... Rear headstock bevelling.

That is a good way to explain it. I have always liked the binding. Somehow, it makes the guitar feel more "finished", as if someone took the time to complete the build. I guess spending so many years with Les Pauls and 335s will do that to you. But the traditional Gibson "nibs" always seemed a little weird. All the more so if the guitar is refretted and they have to be reproduced to keep it "authentic". My favorite guitar for the past several years does NOT have binding, so perhaps it does not really make that much difference. But the latest incidence of frets over a nice rolled binding really underscore what makes a guitar really feel, to me, like an old friend......

I remember some of that era. I actually prefer the, "Good NOW Days", not being surrounded by filthy hippies.

hi budies!!! i wanna show you my new Hamer member firts : thanks thanks thanks to Cmatthes and Diablo175 for help me in the doubts i had. i cant believe its with me, i live in Argentina and the quantity of hamer usa are very very poor. so when this one appear in a online site my heart beat up like house song after talking to the guy he was happy with 900$ , so i thinks it was a great deal here my Hamer Californian Elite 1996 no case, some scrachs here and there, but all original with his backs plates http://imgur.com/gallery/YG04w5z i wish you like it , love you guys and thanks

Dang, Hoss! Way to wealth-shame a new member. Wuzzit "that time" of the month for ya, or whut? My favorite sentence is the last one, though. What a tool!

Thin necks.

What makes this song great is at the time it was played on the radio there was NOTHING LIKE IT!

I'd do a Thinline tele with TV Jones pickups, either a 'tron variation or their Starwoods for Tele, because those tones sounds as Gretschy as they do Tele. Hey Jim, on that note, nudge nudge, this will be my shop's next custom tele build, when it arrives from Stike's magical spray booth in the very near future. Look closely at the last photo It's a swamp ash rear loaded double thinline, and it's hollow on the treble side too

WARNING: If you can't whether the storm of beautiful images before you have placed the order, imagine how hard it will be after you place the order.

I saw that picture this morning. The man is surrounded by love. And Lorna, his wife, she’s an angel —she’s there giving him love, peace, gratitude and unconditional support, without any bitterness or desperate pain, but smiling, being proud and doing her best with infinite kindness, humour sense and good will. Solid! 🙏🙇

At that price, get them to intonate it and make sure the saddle clamp screws, particularly the b and high e string saddles based on that photo, are not stripped out.