cmatthes

cmatthes

Administrator 60 From DC Burbs
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  • Vintage Hamer-Lover
    Hello Chris,

    I am a Hamer Fan from Frankfurt, Germany, specialized in Specials and Sunbursts from the Seventies and early Eighties. I read Your book, still got five issues as a present for nice customers, if I sell one of my newer Hamers - very seldom.

    And the old Sunburst is my guitar "für die Insel" (German saying for the most beloved one, since 1980): perfect sound, handling and balance. Now I got six. Five are on the photo. Two had a head break - and me a trauma, when this happened.

    Please help me:

    I'd love to know how many early Sunbursts with that special one-piece-bridge were produced in the Seventies? And how many in the Eighties? The 'regular' Hamer Serial numbers in the 70' have been 1450 guitars, right?  Have these all been Sunbursts? (exceptions were the four-digit Standards and Custom models I suppose)

    This info could be in Your  "The Ultimate " book. But sorry, I can't find it and/or don't remember 😏.

    Also interesting for me is to know, how many of Sunbursts were shipped. To which countries? My impression is, there are still quite many in Germany (great distribution at that time)...

    In any case: Thank You very much for Your help in advance 🙏

    Markus

    P.S.: It really was sad to see, how Hamer diminished at Frankfurt music fair. Around 20 years I was doing TV- and radioshows for natiol station HR and watched the fading with Kaman, Fender, then no Hamer booth, only poor press kits - analog to the shitty evolution and concept of the Frankfurt Fair. We did live broadcasting day and night, interviews, concerts, with Slash, Henry Juszkiewicz, The Scorpions, the Nordoff Robbins foundation andandand. The development was pain in the ass.

    View attachment 82502

    View attachment 82503

    USA Hamers
    Hey man, Figure the best person to approach with this would be you? Anyway, not sure how much (if any) of the posts I've put up you've seen, but I'm a friend and former band mate of a member of your site who recently passed away and left his wife his fairly extensive collection of Hamers. She and I have decided that she'll just sell them here under her own profile. Her name is Lisa Woodruff (The former member's name was Douglas Woodruff). She's not super computer savy, but I'll help her as best I can. Just giving you a heads up that she's trying to get an account with you guys. I told her that she needs to restrict her selling to the For Sale thread so she knows a little already, but just know she has no maliscious intent, she just wants to make a few dollars since she's not a musician and has no use for the guitars in question. 

    D
    Chris, can you shoot me an email when you get a chance? I have a quick question/favor to ask. Looks like you don't accept PMs. Thx!

    -Devin

    cmatthes
    cmatthes
    Just cleared out my PM box - fire away!

    The Shark
    Chris:

    I talked to Charlie Huhn today.  He told me that the guitar isn't his 4-digit.  I'd met him a few times since I purchased the guitar, but he never actually played or saw it.  Apparently, a friend of his in Michigan owns his.  He'd not been in touch with the guy for a long time.  But the guy swears he still has it.  Apparently, there's a huge wear mark through the finish on the back where they used to duct tape the cord/wireless.  He just assumed my story to be true, so he never questioned until they rekindled their friendship recently.  Can you tell me your recollection of the guitar?  I don't really care as it will never be for sale anyway, but I'd like to know.

    Your Caps are looking good.  Hope you and the family have a wonderful holiday season. 

    Dave Rauschenberger

    cmatthes
    cmatthes
    The guitar that was supposedly Charlie Huhn's ex-guitar, was being sold by Dave Kenney at a midwest guitar shop back in 1990.  It was listed in VG Magazine as being Charlie's, and could be purchased either with a set of original PAFs (that were currently installed at the time) or he'd remove them ad sell the guitar for $995.  I think I still have the old Vintage Guitar stocklist ad for that tucked away somewhere.  I called him and we worked out a deal.  I sent him payment, but when it arrived, "apparently", somebody at the store had already sold the guitar the day before, despite it being marked "SOLD".  He offered me a Standard bass (#0601, I think) at time, which he claimed had belonged to Tom Petersson, but I really didn't need/want that one at the time. Not sure that Tom would have gotten a Standard bass in 1983-84, but hey, who knows...

    He ended up working out a deal with Frank Untermyer to have a Standard built for me, which I got the next year.  

    I don't recall the specific details about when it turned up again, but the story was (at the time) that it was Charlie's old one.  Not sure where that came from, but the color and description definitely fit the one that Dave Kenney was selling.  As to whether that was dealer hype or what, I don't know!

    Caps are looking much better tonight than against the Flyers the other night!

    The Shark
    The Shark
    Well, in a weird way, this is starting to make sense.  I've known Dave Kenney since the eighties.  My best friend Chris Lukasik, who passed away five or six years ago, built the famous/infamous Bolt Gibson for Dave.  The neck was a real blank that I watched Mike Korpak sell Chris for $100 in the old factory.  He also sold him the silver logo.  I bought the mahogany slab on the same trip from a guy named Cub Koda.  You might of heard of him.  Dave told everyone all the parts came from Kalamazoo.  That much was true.  You see where I'm going with this?   

    Subsequently, Dave K. moved to Orlando.  I bought a killer Selmer Zodiac amp that he told me was owned by Laurie Wisefield of Wishbone Ash fame.  It had the "eye" and was the exact model Peter G. in Fleetwood Mac used.  I was playing a Firebird V that I bought from Duane Roland at the time.  It was glorious.

    After the purchase, I mailed a letter to Don Clayton of Route 66 Music in England that I'd been importing amps from for about four years.  I knew that he knew Laurie.  He "rang him up" and Laurie told him he'd never owned a Selmer amp.  I later traded the amp in a larger deal and included no bullshit story.  Dave moved back to Rockford and I've not had occasion to deal with him since.  That was 1993 or 1994. 

    So, it's no stretch that Dave Kenney crafted a narrative that wound up giving  him one more chance in history to bite me.  It's a small world, Chris.  And Charlie's not Elvis.  The fact that my story is that I was buying Charlie's guitar, or so I thought, from Bubs when my drummer told me he was moving in two doors down is no less serendipitous. 

    Thanks for your candor and your memory.  I'm not going to announce any of this or worry about it much.  It's still a killer 4-digit Standard that I may have paid a grand too much for.  I'll not discuss the fabricated story again and am going to let Shawn know.  He's a friend and I don't ever want him to think I didn't tell him because I was suspicious.  The guitar will never be for sale anyway.

    Guess you'll have to revise the "lineage" in the second book!  

    Thanks,

    DR   

    The Shark
    Hi Chris:

    I wanted to let you know that Glenn Howard (the guy I sold Bubs' Ultimate to) is trying to join the forum and he keeps getting kicked out because of the sercurity question.  His e-mail is ghvo@ghvo.net.  I know you have enough to do, but I didn't know what to tell him.  He's a voice over talent and a great guy.  I think he'd be a nice addition to the forum (as if that matters).

    Thanks for any help you can give,

    Dave Rauschenberger

    cmatthes
    cmatthes
    I had no idea we even had a security question!  I'll look into that now....

    cmatthes
    cmatthes
    I don't see that he's tried to log on anywhere.  There's no attempted registration or validation with that email.  Not sure I understand what question he can't get through...

    The Shark
    The Shark
    Thanks.  I'll let him know.  DR.

    P
    Hey Chris,

    I'm just stirring the pot a bit.  I'm home recovering from a stoke and having a little fun.  Cannot play yet, but trying to fiddle around is good therapy.

    I respect your opinion.  I had a chance to purchase a Mirage, and it may still be available, for 1300.  It looks nice and has a Koa top, 3 single coils (Duncan rails I believe), blower switch, and the sculpted neck heel.  The pictures look nice, but does 1300 sound right or too high.

    Its a 2003 model I believe.

    Thanks

    Paul

    PitBar
    Hi Chris,

    i want to have some of the Hamer picks. Do you sell some of the medium picks, or can you tell me, where i can order them?

    Peter

    Caddie
    How could you have joined the HFC in 1969.  There wasn't even a Hamer Guitar building in 1969.  Paul Hamer was what, maybe 9 years old in '69?!

    Cheers!

    You know who

    Caddie
    Sorry about that brain fart of mine with lack of a price tag on the Matchless cab.  you and mc2 where right on top of it.   Thanks! thats why you are the lead admin. and that my friends is how gratuitous sucking up is done!

    back to the same ad, does my listing of parts drawer stuff come dangerously close to being a garage sale? can I pull together a bunch of related thing into one posting called "Tuners" then list Tuners, tuner buttons, or tubes and list all the tubes such as

    • (4) JJ ecc83 $150 each or
    • (6) Groove tubes 12ax7, $45 each plus pack/ins/ship
    • empty boxes of NOS GE 6v6
    Well guess who is sorting psrts and taking pics tonight!

    Cheers!

    caddie

    btw - what the hell is up with this

    double spacing thing?

    I don't know what I did to get it nor can I figure out how to get rid of like what spontaneosly happened at the top of this msg.

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