ArnieZ

"The Review" Feel free to drop out as soon as you're bored! The Buying Experience: Part of the process that should not be overlooked. Purchased from Wildwood, dealt with Troy. Price was better than average. Guitar was as described, essentially unplayed. This one was a 2011 model so there was some flex in the price. Troy included a DG cd in the case and offered a setup with 10's, standard on the DGT are 11's. Guitar came with 11's on it, was setup perfectly so don't know if a new setup was done. Mentioned this to Troy who immediately offered to pay for a setup with 10's, plus 1 for Troy! I did not request he cover a setup. Guitar was well packed and arrived as scheduled. The Guitar: Well crafted from high quality woods. Beautiful fit and finish. there are a couple small details that Hamer folks take for granted that aren't there. The control cavity is neat with excellent wiring but not quite Hamer. The finish is more 3d than I expected with nice movement of the figure. The neck profile is very comfortable, similar to a vintage carve. The width at the nut is a skootch narrower than what I am used to by 1/32nd. this was more noticeable to me visually than functionally, It is causing me no problems whatsoever. The fret work is impeccable. The controls are smooth and work the way they should. As Austin said the VVT arrangement is familiar. This is the only guitar I currently own with a trem and it is the best trem I have encountered. It returns to tune perfectly, and when bending one string and holding another, stays in tune, unlike most Strats, if the claw is not tightened. Don't love the push/pull pot to split the pups, find it less than ideal to use. Should be able to put one of Murkat's push/push pots here to good use. I really like the tones from this guitar. I generally don't look for a guitar that sounds like X. I either like the way it sounds or not. This guitar sounds great in both the full humbucker and split modes. Not dead quiet in the single coil mode but the volume difference is not significant making this very easy to use either way. I am liking the neck pickup even more than the bridge, but don't think I would change anything. Sounds great both clean and overdriven. This guitar hangs from a strap perfectly, balance and comfort is unsurpassed. This is the first PRS model that I have picked up that I didn't put right back down after a brief trial. I like the neck profile which is unique to this model and the pickups, which are not sterile sounding to me. I have only two small nits to pick. First the push/ pull tone pot. While the tone control works very well, the push/pull thing is a bit awkward. Second the strap buttons are very large in circumference but not very tall. It is hard to get a strap around them. they will probably be the first thing I change and the push/ pull next, assuming I can wire it . Great guitar folks, if you get a chance give one a spin! Gotta say I never thought I'd own a PRS. ArnieZ

Had never found a PRS I could bond with, either the guitar tone did not capture my imagination or I didn't care for the neck. Enter the DGT: neck profile similar to the Hamer vintage carve, big frets, good sounding pickups that split with good results. Found one that appealed to me aesthetically and now it's mine! Review in greater detail to follow, pics now. I think this will be a keeper! I spoke to my Rabbi and he said if Mitch deserved a new guitar so did I

Getting into mine past couple days ,very impressive ,as in, Great Job!! ArnieZ

I believe it's Al's from Lost Art! ArnieZ

hope you're having a great day!! ArnieZ

Almost speechless, trey cool!! I hope you enjoy that endlessly! ArnieZ

BADASS!! ArnieZ

I got to see the statue David in Florence Italy and took a great cooking class! ArnieZ

Always an interesting discussion. Electric guitars are useless without an amp so in that sense I consider the amp part of the instrument. Some of my guitars mate much better with some amps than others though with the proper amp they all are capable of great tones. I don't happen to own any crappy guitars or amps. My Ultimate is my most expensive guitar but I have no idea what the market value of that is. ArnieZ

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It has been a tough decision between keeping this or my t51. Sentiment so far has been the deciding factor, I really do like this guitar alot! If it doesn't sell you might see my t51 and possibly the Talladega on the market. ArnieZ

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Bump for a great guitar! ArnieZ

I have no accurate method of weighing it. I'd say it's a medium weight, but it's not a feather. Definitely lighter than my old lester which was 8.75#. If this would be a big issue for him, I'm sure there are lighter ones out there. I would not want him to be disappointed. That said, it is very comfortable to me. I would say it's within a couple onces of my T51, which is a 1 piece ash. ArnieZ

Sonic blue G&L Bluesboy Alder with #1 neck, satin finish medium jumbo frets, bone nut, 12" radius. This was factory pleked and made 5/25/2012. Great playing guitar! Seth Lover in the neck. Only flaw I can see is the small impression in the finger board. COA, build specs and all case candy included. Speaking of the case it is the nicer G&G case, a few small tears or abrasions in the tolex but all latches intact and perfectly functional. Asking $900 shipped and PP.

There are several members who count Aztec gold as one of their favorite Hamer colors. It is a great finish for figured tops. My Tally below is Aztec, striking color IMO ArnieZ

Happy Birthdays! ArnieZ

Happy Birhtday!! ArnieZ

You should not be allowed to build yourself one either! ArnieZ

Does one in one out qualify/ ArnieZ

That is so perfect it should be my new sig line. Lets review. A lot of people pissed and moaned that Hamer/Jol wouldn't build this or that. Jol was shown the door. Frank U took the reigns and implemented a field of dreams approach (if we build it they will come) and only a few people actually opened up their wallets. One Thunderbolt was built. ONE. A handful of shredders made it out the door (Chapps, Calis, SS models, etc) even though many people talked like a hundred orders would come in if they agreed to build them. Jol knew what he was talking about when he said at an HFC open house that he wouldn't consider reissuing a model until the used price approached the price of what a new one would cost (I'm paraphrasing). Why would they put Guild and the Fender Acoustic Custom shop on the backburner to keep Hamer alive? It will probably take another year just to complete the orders in house. All efficiencies of manufacturing are gone in their current approach to building ( a few hours a week here and there). It is doubtful that they were even profitable with Hamer in their recent state even though the prices have skyrocketed. Besides that, many unfinished guitars (not custom orders) were left to rot because no one wanted them. It seemed that people only wanted to buy used. Now its your only option and those prices have remained stable. That shows how much demand there is for a USA Hamer. RIP Hamer- the best damn guitar no one ever heard of. I agree with this! Many if not most Hamer fans, this board included, bought most of their Hamers used. Comments on this and other forums indicate people feel Hamer priced themselves out of the market, especially when prices climbed above $1500! We all know these were never $1500 dollar guitars, part of the reason we coveted them. They were just too damn good at that price point and Hamer couldn't make any money selling them at that price. Hamer was trying to be a good employer offering a reasonable wage and insurance benefits and those costs kept rising. I know for a fact that Jol was concerned about trying to keep his crew happy as well as maintaining and improving the quality of the product. You can't make a guitar in the USA that should sell for $2500 and sell it for $1500 and stay in business and FMIC is all about business. ArnieZ

Not to pick nits but one could have ordered a Studio with a trem and I'm pretty sure the Santana model originally was Gibson scale length. The current version is listed as a 24.5 scale length. I used that example as a qualitative comparison. I could have use a custom22 just the same. I agree the endorsement is a big factor, but I consider that as part of the reason Hamer was unable to realize it's 'vision' ArnieZ

Most of my experience with Hamer is with the NH era. I met Jol and Kim shortly after they set up in New Hartford. I was having my T-51 retro-fitted with the Fishman bridge. Jol personally took the time to discuss the control layout and how I wanted the guitar to function post mod. He spent way more time than he had to, for a nobody, and we shot the shit for quite awhile. The Vision of what Hamer was to be was clear. This was not only Jol's vision, Kaman's as well. IMO Jol was aked to come back and agreed to come back because of this. Everyone who has had the opportunity to attend an HFC event or visit the facility could see that the production area was not geared for volume and neither were the building methods. I believe Hamer failed because they were unable to make their vision a reality. The answer as to why is not black and white, and I am only speculating, like everyone else. Marketing and brand perception were certainly a big part. Where others succeeded Hamer failed. Isn't a PRS Santana little more than a Studio Custom? Yet people willingly paid more for that than the Hamer, though it could be argued that the Hamer was made just as well, if not better. Hamer offered too much for the money and was still not able to convince the public that it was worth it. We have all seen hundreds of examples of exceptional wood tops on non-custom models, tops that would have been labeled "10" tops or Artist tops at PRS for no upcharge. In this sense reality exceeded perception. It is clear many feel Hamer priced themselves out of the market. What isn't clear is what they thought or hoped their market was. I believe they tried, perhaps too late, with the guru tours to make players aware of the quality and value of their instruments. Certainly the Artist Ultimate was a tour de force to demonstrate their lutherie skills. Did they ever make a dime selling any of those? I hope Hamer is revived some day but I doubt it. With FMIC's inability initiate an IPO and their dependence on GC even it's future is unclear. Kudos of course to the Hamer dealers for their passion, knowledge and willingness to share with customers. Had it not been for a persistent dealer who stuck a T-51 in my hands and insist I play it, I probably would not have the pleasure of owning several of these fine instruments. This will end the ramblings of an old man

This sort of "moral" issue pops up periodically. No one is forced to buy an item if they think it is priced incorrectly. If I had an opportunity to score a guitar at a price I knew I could not lose money on, I probably would, just on the chance it would "speak" to me. I would generally be averse to posting the prices I paid, or sold gear for. I also try not to think of what a person's motivation is for buying and selling. Brent seems like an impulsive buyer and seller! JMHO ArnieZ