cmatthes

The Customs forms probably slow things down at the border! I have very small handwriting...

Z: It has been posted here that we are still waiting on one last portion of the order (17 shirts or 4-5 orders were shorted). As I mentioned, those are expected to arrive today, if all goes well. The other portion of the order (over 200 shirts) was shipped out within 24 hours of arrival a couple of weeks ago. Shipping to Canada runs @ $15 for USPS Parcel Post (4-10 days air). Hope that helps - I'll check to see if yours was one of the ones that has been held up and let you know from home tonight. Several were sent to Canada and Internationally, and I know of two that did not have the complete order received so could not be shipped. Thanks, Chris

Mine was a Ferarri Red Special with a Floyd Rose that I bought from Sam Moss in Winston-Salem, NC in 1984. I traded it in on a Standard I ordered in 1990. Serial and I spent a LOT of time in that shop and got to see a ton of really cool guitars (as David B. can attest!). I remember more about that guitar than many of the other ones I've owned over the years, oddly enough. It came up for sale on eBay a few years ago, the Floyd had been changed and it was a little more banged up then when I last saw it, but I recognized it right away. Right after I got it, I recall almost trading my '81 LP Custom for a Metallic Blue Special with a Kahler. Glad I kept the LP, but that guitar was fantastic.

Exactly! The Impulse Buyer is not always the guy/girl walking into the shop. They also price high on ALL their vintage stuff at the GCs near me. Either that, or a '78 Strat really DOES sell for $9,800. And who knew that a '77 STARcaster (not STRATocaster!) is a "Rare Collectible" and priced at $6,998 (case extra, maybe?)? I think that is also to cover them if the guitar is really worth more than they're asking. Most of the GC doods I've encountered don't know squat about vintage, or even relatively recent, guitars.

Stonge: I guess that technically, as long as there has been a Hamer tour at SOME point in the past, that any festivities would qualify as "Post-Tour", eh? Always looking for a loophole - you know me!

Totally. And think of all the COOL stuff that they DO make and you and the other dealers get to order for all of us!

Mark: That's the BEST news I've heard all day - I know that you will actually get some sleep tonight! That really is fantastic. I'm going to hug my little ones a little tighter tonight.

Mark: Not sure if you've been able to check email, but my wife mentioned that the news today also recommended checking/posting craigslist.com (LA). Per the news story, they have been able to locate/connect close to 800 people in the storm area since the weekend. Good luck, man - we're all pulling for ya.

Well Put! +1 and stuff

Just don't make any "shower" cracks, David!

I couldn't agree more, except that the lack of an open house this year is not due to anything that happened on this or any other website. Personally, I really dig a lot of what they're doing lately. Not for everybody, maybe, but then again what company is? How many PRS options are you going to find in the same price range as an equivalent Hamer? (think about that one for a few minutes...). Do I think they increase their prices too frequently? Who doesn't? However, if they can still sell their guitars, they're obviously appealing to SOMEBODY. I don't personally think that they'll be able to sustain a target of the top-end buyers only, because those guys typically get in, go crazy for a while and get out, moving on to something else - I've seen it with almost every other high-end brand at some time. A guy who wants a '59 LP will not be 100% satisfied with a Hamer, a PRS, Huber, McInturff, you name it. He (or she) will come closest with a Gibson reissue of that guitar (or a pricey forgery). On the other hand, a player who has always lusted after a Korina Vee will probably be very happy with a Hamer Korina Vector - maybe even more so than if that person had plunked down 1/2 a fortune on a Gibby reissue. I don't claim to know all about this market, but know what I've seen over the last 25+ years and have a basic understanding of how things/trends go. Fender is an entirely different animal and offers something at every price point, but I can't really compare that to what Hamer does. Gibson is fairly close as far as style of guitar offered, but again - will you find an equivalent Gibson in the same price range? Sometimes, sometimes not. It's a PERSONAL choice - what I like, you may not like and vice-versa. That doesn't make one company bad or better or anything, just DIFFERENT. If you like it, great. If not, find something that fits you better, don't bitch about it - buy what makes you happy. I don't think it's all that unusual that Hamer hasn't updated the website in a few months - it often went for far longer periods of time without new content. I'd rather have them focusing on production (working on a guitar for ME!), new stuff, NAMM shows, vacation for the staff than updating the website every month, but that's MY OPINION - it doesn't have to be yours!

I'm not sure about warped, but I have heard the word "unplayable" in reference to that particular neck before. Not sure if any work has been done since then. Worth asking via email though (unless you don't like to live dangerously!)

The Korina one is also one of the first ones. I've got a nice pic of that one in the case next to a Ferrari Red one. Damn shame about that mod.

Those are incredibly rare, tough to pry from an owner's hands and with one (minor?) exception, are factory original. Joe has taken care of his stuff too, so that won't be a problem. Many of us here (and others elsewhere) would shell out far more than that for a custom order, PRS or Gibson Historic. I don't find the prices to be out of line for what they are, and in all honesty, you'll be waiting a long time for the next $800 Virt to show up at a pawnshop or GC.

WOW! That thing looks simply amazing. Really nice job all around on that one - betcha can't wait to get 'er home and crank it up. Fine execution, KofZ! Dave Mc is a class act and a super nice guy. He's also had his hands on more classic Hamers than most of us will ever see over the years.

MBMike: It is indeed a "reel" - I did my time bartending in a hotspot on the early 90s East Coast Irish Music circuit. STILL can't get some of that out of my head! (not a bad thing, actually) Nosajwp: Did I know you were a Winstonian (or is that a Salemite?)? Serial and I were there for the mid-to-late 90s. Love that part of the country.

I'm putting in a +1 for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers as at least a top 5. I'm seeing them tonight again, so I'm a bit juiced up, but he's charted more than LS and probably sold more records (pure guesswork on my part!). As far as Gib/Epi endorsers getting sig models - there's also an Epi Zakk Wilde sig model, and just for laughs, there were Elvis signature editions on both sides of that fence too!

Oh, that is EXACTLY what I wanted to see! Thanks, Anotherfreak!

I NEED to see a pic of that 3 'Tron Newport! That is part of what I was going for in a current order... Anybody snag a shot of that one?

Just you wait, younger bro... Just you wait.

We have sent a truckload or so worth of HFC shirts to the UK! Not a problem, but let me know where specifically you are so I can calculate the shipping amount. Thanks!

Okay everybody - here's the deal on the new T-shirts: $13 (US) per shirt, shipping to US Destinations is included. (will figure out what it will cost to ship elsewhere upon request, but has been reasonable in the past and we've shipped dozens internationally) Available colors: Black Navy Blue Dark Green Maroon/Burgundy Purple Orange Payment can be mailed by USPS Money Order (in US$), Personal checks to me at: HFC Tees Adult Sizes Small, Med, Large & XL = $13 Add $1 for each additional "X" ($14 for XXL, $15 for XXL, etc). We are going to make a DEADLINE OF MONDAY, AUGUST 8th, for all payment to be received so we can send off the order (it needs to be paid in full, as always). Time from order placement until delivery has always been two weeks at the most. Feel free to email me with any questions. Thanks! Chris & Ted

Info on where, what, when and how to send for YOUR NEW HFC T-SHIRTS coming later tonight!! Finally got all the kinks worked out and are ready to fly. Thanks, Chris

There's always a 20-something girl/guy who isn't completely familiar with the effects of a lot of alcohol, and has the mistaken impression that "Live Band" is some sort of translation for "Karaoke". If the girl is cute enough, she may get a tambourine or maybe even a mic for a song, but after that, it's really time to go, Sweetie. You may have done the best "Piece of My Heart" at your Sorority talent show, but that was a few years ago and it ain't on our setlist! That being said, I don't mind it when people get into it, but when you start bumping into things and gravity is becoming unfamiliar to you (or you start pissing off Guitarlos' wife) it's best to leave the stage area.

I hope I'm going to join ya in the M3 Club sometime this year. My favorite new Hamer model in years - those things are amazing!