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Love it when a 31 year old Hamer in 9+ condition turns up at a local Guitar center of all places.. Bone stock, original case, and even had the little Hamer zip lock baggie with the truss rod wrench. I think The Hamer Gods were shining down on me. Frets are like new, a few minor clear coat dings, and that's it. Case is super clean too. 1993 Studio, but has a bigger neck than all the other 93's that I have owned. And, the price was very fair, considering the times we live in. I'm stoked to have it! Stayed up late cleaning and setting it up. Gonna wail on it today!

UPDATE!!!! Just received my Gibson Made-2-Measure 'Murphy Lab' R9 reissue. Only took 5 months. It's so nice. Just perfect. Light, very resonant and feels great as it has the extra comfy Murphy Lab binding treatment. Really feels like an old guitar. And... that monster flame top! Just like I picked out at the Gibson Garage. Here's a couple of quick snaps as I just unboxed it.

Disclaimer: I’m no @Steve Haynie so please cut me some slack. This review, however, would only be a shadow of what it is now had Steve not laid down the gauntlet so many times prior. So here we go… Cheap Trick. I’ll just come out and say it, their show sucked. Polar opposite experience from when I last saw them 25 years ago. I am going to blame the sound guys for most of this (we were seated behind the mixing where you usually get the most balanced sound). They opened with ‘Dream Police’, but it took me until the chorus to identify which song it was, which is bad. At this point in their careers, who really has anything to prove anymore? They are both quite established. Are there shenanigans such as the main act screwing with the opener’s act/sound still happening at this level? Or is CT’s crew just really that bad? Dream Police had Rick wielding his checkerboard Standard. For the second number I thought I was going to get to hear ‘Brontosaurus’ (they played the lick a few times) but then went into ‘California Man’, He was playing a square Heritage(?). For ‘Southern Girls’ he broke out a korina Vector. ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ had him on a black SG. I was pretty detached by this point since the sound had not improved much, and my ears were wanting the set to be over. They did close with a short version of ‘Goodnight Ladies and Gentlemen’,which had Rick playing his famous 5-neck. I also saw Rick with LP’s, a Tele, and a red Firebird throughout the show. Tom played the same hollow body 12ver the entire show (is that a Dean? Sure looked like it), and when Robin played it was always a Tele. They played for one hour on the dot. Heart was totally awesome! The sound guys were on their game, great balance and mix. There was a lot of dialog from the sisters with the audience, which was both fun and enlightening. Ann sat down for a fair portion of the show due to a knee replacement she had gotten three months earlier. Her voice for the most part was on par for being Ann, but she struggled some on the really high stuff (you have to give her a break, she turns 74 next month). I know nothing of singing/voice, so maybe it will come back as they proceed through the tour(?)… But my guess is her voice won’t last for the entire tour. Hope I’m wrong, because last night was a real treat, I’m glad we were on the first leg of the tour. The set list did not disappoint, even though I’m not a fan of a couple of their mid-80’s ballads. But I digress. Ann did an acoustic performance of one of her solo projects (Tripsetter) which was really good, and Nancy did the acoustic solo tribute to EVH which was quite impressive. The entire band, although not “Heart”, did a fantastic job. There was a very interesting drum solo towards the end that involved bows… Really freaky! And I don’t even like drum solos. I thought for sure they would do ’Battle Of Evermore’, but it did not happen. So for the set list, in order: - Bebe Le Strange - Never - Love Alive - Roll The Dice - Magic Man - This Is Now (Ann's Tripsetter cover) - Little Queen - Straight On - Let's Dance (Bowie cover) - These Dreams - Dog And Butterfly - Dreamboat Annie - Going To California (Zeppelin) - You And Me (Nancy's EVH tribute) - The drum solo (with violin/cello bows) - Mistral Wind (Zeppelin) - Alone - What About Love - Barracuda The hotties were few and far between, but this is the first show I have been to in a decade and we are all getting older… So I suppose there were a LOT of hotties there, they just aged. I had to conjure memories of decades past and use my imagination. 😂 All said and done they played for nearly an hour and a half. Very glad the wife and I went, her thoughts mirrored what I have said.

0063, 0092. When I ordered Ultimate 0063 in 2015, the serial numbers were in the 60s. I requested 0063 in honor of my wife’s birth year, 1963 (she passed away in 2014). Two years later, my daughter and I went on an epic Texas-Connecticut road trip to Shishkov HQ and picked it up in person on Monday, July 10, 2017. While we were there, I was able to select the wood for the top of DC 0092, which was delivered by FedEx on Sunday, July 5, 2020, at 9:07 AM.

I'm in. First photo by Mike, second by me. Awesome guitar!

Been too quiet here. Let's see 'em!

#0108

#0001 and #0066:

All three unique. ‘ ’

Soo beautiful, I love it pickups sound great! Light, comfy, plays like a dream..Hamer made the best guitars ❤

Here's #20 from the original run of Ultimates. Vintage neck carve, Shlabotnik's, tone for days.

#0011

Just the one. The other two have not progressed beyond an initial consultation. At my age, that may be as close as I get......

Here's a weird one. So I have been jonesing for a P90 guitar since I sold my two Hamer P90-loaded guitars a couple of years ago. I have been looking on Reverb at this Yamaha VG Standard Asuka model for a few months and almost pulled the trigger a couple of times, but am glad I held off. I found the one that just landed on Ebay being sold in Japan. And knew it was "the one". It has a book-matched flamed maple top on it and all the other ones that I had seen were plain tops. Plus it has a really cool fitted hardshell case and all the others had gig bags. Amazingly it was shipped last Monday from Japan and landed at my place last Wednesday. Came FedEx. I looked at the tracking, it went from Narita, to Memphis, to Spokane, to East Wenatchee, to me all in two days. Anyway, after a cleaning and set-up, I am really happy. Plays and sounds great. And looks cool as F. It is heavy! The F-holes are fake, it's solid. I haven't weighed it, but it weighs more than my Les Paul for sure. I guess Asuka was a Japanese musician from the '80s? I have a rehearsal with one of the two bands I am in tomorrow night and am looking forward to rockin' it at full volume with the boys.

Not a Hamer but I thought it worth sharing and I'm bored...lol! 1985 Gibson DC XPL

And a few shots from the sofa. This is definitely one of my favorite builds so far. I like the changes that I made to the body and it is still very light at 7lb 12oz. The 6 bolt neck joint with the inset brass bars is super solid and makes the fundamentals very strong, but to me it has more character than my neck through designs. Hard to put my finger on, but it sounds amazing and it rings like a Steinway.

Forgot I had these images; they're in the same photo album (and time frame) as the Duane Eddy photo. Validates my "one-of-each-(catagory) " collecting propensities over a quarter-century ago.

Last night in Huntsville, AL (which is 41+ years since I first saw The Priest in concert😳...good to see many new young fans at the show!). Andy Sneap playing a Standard.

0033 and 0091

Selling my 2008 Standard Korina. Essentially a flawless guitar. Almost has a 3-D figuring in the wood which I have never seen in a Korina guitar (maybe you have). Special ordered as the last batch of Korina guitars before Fender took over. Looks to be a two piece body and 3 piece neck. Slight tarnishing to the pickup covers. Includes OHSC, case candy, COA. They are only this nice until some careless fool gets hold of it. Would like it to go to someone in the HFC fam who will take care of it. $6200 plus shipping.

I'm on quite the Charvel/Jackson resurgence lately. I think it's safe to say that FMIC (Charvel and Jackson) have hit a home run with their recent MJ (made in Japan) Series offerings! A month or so ago, I bought one of the MJ Series So Cals. I was floored! Then I tried a Jackson Dinky. Also a killer score! Then, 3 weeks back, I took a chance ordering a second Dinky after the first one rocked my world. I was NOT disappointed. I decided to see if my luck would hold with a second Charvel So Cal but in a better color scheme (ANYTHING other than white 🤮). I found a used black one on Pro Audio Star and took the plunge. It arrived a day later. Initial assessment is inconclusive but it does seem to have some of the quality of the first one. It doesn't seem as responsive or tonally on point but I'm chalking that up to the JB. Those goddamn p'ups are as temperamental as they come. It really needs a thorough set up and then I'll reassess. Until then I'm digging the Yin and Yang vibe.

One-of-a-kind custom Hamer Monaco Superpro with quilted maple top, “brown sugar” finish, ebony fingerboard, and gold hardware. The pickups are from the Duncan Custom Shop, unique and original to this guitar. They are signed Seymour Duncan and do not have a model designation. They are PAF voiced. The Superpro is a chambered instrument. This one weighs 8.0 pounds. It has a truly one-piece mahogany body and completely clear back with no routing. The controls are mounted through the pickup holes. This guitar is in very good used condition. There are minor swirl scratches. The gold hardware is moderately worn in the usual places. There is very little fret wear. It looks, plays, and sounds great. The original hard shell case is in excellent condition. $2900 shipped to the continental US.

Well, if someone wanted it, would have sold by now so I am just going to hang on to it. Sorry for the change of heart.

Getting started with the host BruceM.

"I've got a buddy that knows everything there is to know about assholes...lemme get him down here to check it out and tell us what it's worth."

Those guys are such assholes.

Show was good. We were close to the stage so had a great vantage point. Only issue was this old couple in front of me grinding on each other the whole time and he kept using me for leverage so he could hump his woman without falling over backwards. 🤦🏻‍♂️ Opening band was a local trio called “Glyders.” Girl on bass, guitarist singer used a beat up Tele he said he “found in the trash” all night. Decent little band. Had some good grooves. Nothing extraordinary, but good enough as an opening act. The Crowes came on and played their hits which I knew, a few tracks off their new album I was slightly familiar with, and plenty of songs from their back catalog that as a casual fan I didn’t know. Overall, it was a solid rock n roll show. Wall of guitar amps (heads and combos). Not sure how many different ones they used cuz I could tell that the majority of combos had no speakers in them. Looked like Nico was using a Reason combo and Rich was using a head I couldn't quite make out. Tons of guitar changes between the two, almost every song. Bunch of SG's, Teles, a LPJr, Firebird, Gretsch, etc. I think my favorites were Nico's Firebird and Rich's black Tele. There was another couple in front of me. Maybe 5-10 years older than I am. Looked like they’ve got a couple of daughters with them of drinking age. Guy aims camera to take a selfie, wife gets in it. I notice that with the angle, my head is framed perfectly between theirs. So, I do what anyone would do. I stick my tongue out and look directly at the camera. Well, after he takes the pic, he looks at his phone. He immediately turns back to me and starts laughing. I got a fist bump from both mom and dad. I rule…

Felt in love again with a Sunburst: # 8 0313 ❣️ Just purchased her from a nice German guitar luthier named Alexander Fiedler in Lohr, Bavaria. Looks like NOS, even the Hamer Logo has the fresh white like toothpaste.

Here was the workaround I mentioned. Another Talladega courtesy of @lang. This also deepens the mystery surrounding the custom 'Dega that started this. The neck profiles are not at all alike. The V shape on the Custom Tally starts with a V but gets noticeably softer as it goes up the neck, turning into almost a modern C shape. I'd never have known that until this one came in today. I'm wondering if the Mahogany one was ordered with a Tally-Pro neck profile? So far what I know is different about the first one is the Mahogany top and the neck profile. I think I lucked into a pretty unique specimen with that one. The one Lang sent is quite rad too, and exactly what I was looking for - something that plays (more or less) like the initial Talladega but has more of a gibson thing. The WCR pickups in it are rowdy. Funny how when you start gigging a lot it really shakes out what is a great guitar for the house and what is a great guitar to play for three hours. I'll miss the Gibby I just sold, but this one is going to get far more work.

I posted this pic on FB. Thought some of you might get a kick out it.

I got the Sunburst mentioned here I have it for another couple of days before the GC return period is up. It is, not surprisingly because of the extra-thick body and neck, very heavy by my standards (>10 lbs), which may be a deal-breaker. If I keep it I would feel obligated to offer up my BCR Jr on here, and I'm not sure I am prepared to do that. But it sure is pretty. Will update with more impressions and measurements when I have the chance.

If it had one more fret, I would buy it. Most of my fans are bats and dogs.

I am not sure I can express how good it felt to be welcomed again to the 4321. The hugs, handshakes, and good vibes was awesome. The spirit of Music is so beautiful. BruceM is and always will be The Man when it comes to Cool and welcoming. 😎👍🏁❤️

I've only got one good one!

Ask and you shall receive.

Traded a pile of unused FX and some cash for this locally. I haven't opened it up yet, so I'm not sure if there's any kind of serial number to date it or not. Some background: In the early '80s, Jake had a roomate who worked at Charvel. Jake had a hardtail sunburst, 70's Strat that he wanted to, "Charvel-ize." Body was refinished white, the headstock was reshaped and a Charvel logo added, custom pickguard with two (reverse-slanted) Dimarzio SDS-1 singles and a Duncan JB bridge. Brass bridge with chrome-plated saddles. This Fernandes copy is very nicely made guitar, especially in the sub-$1k category. It has some hideous, sooper-METAL bridge pickup and the middle Dimarzio is missing its cover. I ordered replacement covers and an AHoldsworth AH1-B humbucker through Brawer. I'm going to wait to do a detailing/setup until the parts come in, but it plays pretty nicely already.

Cruise V ('97?) with 2tek and emg's (all stock, I bought it new), flyrig, through a ebtek hum eliminator to a '68 Ampeg B25, GK Neo 212. I don't think I've ever had better tone. There was a weird barely audible high pitched morse-code thing through the in ears, and it was from my channel, I had hoped to blame the guitar player with the Line6, but it was from me. Maybe from the cheap battery power for my Flyrig?, but it was quiet enough to not be an issue. The B25 is super cool, great for guitar or bass.

I saw it 3 weeks ago, and finally went back and bought it the other day. So, It now sits in my music room. I'm glad you didn't snatch it up, Polara! And you were right, it needed a good cleaning! Here it is now.. Did you see the T-51 that was there the week before?

Calling all baby boomers and beyond, I was cleaning up and found a few boxes (30-40) old bootleg VHS tapes (for those that remember, they are played in a VCR). Some of these shows are probably on YouTube, many of them are semi-pro shot (some are single hand-held camera) local shows so you get the good/bad/incredible - no overdubs to correct things. Free to anyone interested in them, I only ask that you cover the shipping (~$30) and I'll stuff as many as I can into a large Flat Rate USPS box. Sorry I don't have time to be selective on the shows or bands, what you get is what goes in the box, but I'll make sure it is a good mix of bands. Offer available til the end of this month and then like all good 80's rockers, these will go to a cut-out bin in the sky never to be seen again except at Wal-Mart. Email me at [email protected] if you have interests or have any questions. **added bonus for the first to act, I have the 3 night Cheap Trick Album show in Philly that has our very own Steve and Chris Matthes front row and stage right - there to collect Rick's guitar when he handed it to them during the show. You'll feel like you just got mono from drinking that Rolling Rock that Rick use to hand out to the audience. But wait there is more -respond in the next 30 minutes and I"ll throw in a special surprise Hamer related item, I guarantee only a few select people have. That's all folks.