Dana_V

Thanks!

Thank you! Yes! My self-imposed rule is, "If I bring it, I have to play it." (I play in other bands where I only bring two - one main and one backup.) 2009 Fender American Vintage 1952 Telecaster Reissue - This thing is a beast. I've got 11s on it and it works really well for those nasty Hound Dog Taylor tones. 1999 Fender American Roadhouse Stratocaster - Because you've gotta have a Srat in a blues band. 2000 Danelectro DC-12 (Open-G) - Used for several open-G/slide songs, including "When the Levee Breaks." 2009 Eastwood Delta-6 (Open-A) - Used for my song "And So I Play" (about me dealing with my own grief) and Son House's "Death Letter." 1968 Del Rey E-110 - The pickup on this one is really microphonic, so I do a thing in one song where I do a "drum solo" by beating on the body with my hands. 2013 Texas Box Guitars LPG-5 (Open-G) - The top is 1986 Texas Sesquicentennial license plate from my '86 Mustang (which I no longer have). 2015 Texas Box Guitars LPG-6 (Open-D) - The top is a 1963 Texas license plate as a tribute to my late wife, who was born in 1963 and passed away in 2014. 2017 Shishkov Ultimate - When I want unlimited access to ALL the frets. Plus it's just so freakin' cool. 2020 Shishkov DC Custom - Super versatile; I can use it for pretty much anything in standard tuning. 1981 Hamer Special - This one's never missed a gig since I got it new in 1984. The most perfect guitar neck ever made. 2005 Hamer Special Korina Jr - This thing just sounds mean. Perfect for Muddy Waters songs. 2005 Hamer Korina Artist P-90 - Really nice chimey sound for some things, including "Jesus Just Left Chicago." 1978 Hamer Sunburst - When I want THAT sound. 1989 Hamer Chaparral Elite w/Sustainiac - On this night I used it for "I Put a Spell on You" for super-long sustained notes in the solo. 1996 Hamer Diablo - During Tab Benoit's "Night Train," I do a bit where I walk around in the audience and it's fun to do some silly noises with the Floyd. 1955 Supro Student DeLuxe Lap Steel (Open-G) - Used for "Bad to the Bone' and "Let's Work Together." For something from 1955, the pickup is super-hot.

Thanks! Me too - any differences are very, very small.

Okay, one more (to go along with my Shishkov post from the other day). My '78 Sunburst was in need of some out-of-the-case time, so I used it for a few songs last Saturday night. Here it is on John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road." I've acquired several more Hamers over the years, but this Sunburst was my first. Bought used in 1982 from Lake Charles Music in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I paid - and I'm NOT making this up - $350.00 for it. Signal chain: 1978 Hamer Sunburst 8 0383 (DiMarzio pickups - neck: original; bridge: PAF 36th Anniversary) Line 6 G90 Wireless System 1999 Fulltone Full-Drive 2 (used for solos) 2015 Mesa Mark V (Orange Channel) Line out from the Mesa goes through a 2008 Behringer VD400 Analog Delay (short delay, single repeat, wet-only output) to a 1953 Magnatone Melodier 110 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjKOSpX8HYk "Tobacco Road" was originally written and recorded by John D. Loudermilk in 1959/1960, but has been covered many, many times since then. The Nashville Teens had a hit with it in 1964; David Lee Roth covered it in 1986. When Johnny Winter played Woodstock in 1969, his brother Edgar joined him for a few songs, including the set-closer, "Tobacco Road." And although it appeared on Edgar Winter's first album (Entrance, 1970), it's the live version from the Edgar Winter's White Trash 1972 live album Roadwork that our version is based on. (Our version is about seven minutes long; Edgar's live version is seventeen minutes long. 😆 )

Thanks!

Here's Ultimate 0063 in action on our version of "St. James Infirmary" from last Saturday night. A little self-indulgent? Maybe. 😆 But when you have a guitar that plays as good as this one you just kinda wanna keep going, you know? 🙂 Signal chain: 2017 Shishkov Ultimate 0063 (Gravelin Schlabotnik pickups) Line 6 G90 Wireless System 1999 Fulltone Full-Drive 2 (for solos) 2015 Mesa Mark V (Orange Channel) Line out from the Mesa goes through a 2008 Behringer VD400 Analog Delay (short delay, single repeat, wet-only output) to a 1953 Magnatone Melodier 110 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xmUreA-GvI "St. James Infirmary" – which has origins in a song called "Gambler's Blues" from the late 1800s – first gained prominence with Louis Armstrong's 1928 recorded version, and has been covered countless times since then, including versions by Cab Calloway, Bobby “Blue” Bland (my personal favorite) and even the White Stripes.

Thanks for responding - at least now I know it's not just me.

I was attempting to post a YouTube link - something I guess I haven't done in a while - but I can't seem to figure out (or maybe I forgot) how to make it come up as a "preview" rather than just a clickable link. I tried using the "Embed" option, but that didn't work either. The video is from one of my own YouTube channels and the permissions are set to "Allow Embedding." Am I having a senior moment or did something change? Thanks in advance. Recent example of a clickable link: Recent example of a preview:

3 9143, bought new in 1983 from Evans Music City in Houston, Texas. I had to special order it to get the Floyd. (Hopefully the picture is visible. I don't seem to be able to upload photos at the moment, so this is an Imgur link.)

No Hamers acquired in 2025. In fact, I haven't bought a guitar since October, 2024 (2019 Gibson SG Junior). Instead, in 2025 I spent money on other exciting things like a sewer line repair, the deductibles on a new roof and my daughter's dental work, car repairs (it turns out catalytic converter replacement is expensive), tires...and of course the University of North Texas got a big chunk. Fun! 😆 My Hamer count remains 21.

I just played one - the Ranger in the photo below - unplugged, but it felt great. The neck was ever so slightly fatter than my '99 American Strat, but still very Fender-like. No rough edges and the frets we nice and even. Although it's basically Stratocaster-shaped, the body of a Ranger is thinner than a Strat, so it weighs a little less than your average Strat. I thought the fit and finish looked great - but of course any builder is going to put their best-looking stuff on display at a show like this. But I didn't see any blemishes, uneven binding or any evidence of sloppy workmanship. At the risk of sounding like a paid endorser (which I am definitely not), the guys there seemed truly interested in building Robin back up as a maker of high-quality guitars. I mentioned how I don't own one but I've kept Robin in the back of my mind since living in Houston in the 80s, and they said, "Just let us know when you're ready and we'll build you one" and gave me a blank build sheet. (I think that's called "being a salesman," but I guess it worked because I'm still thinking about it - and I know exactly what I would order. So we'll see.)

It was great to meet you at the show! Really enjoying the book!

It was a good show! I didn't buy any guitars (I didn't think I would), but I bought a copy of @Willie G. Moseley's Robin Guitars book and got to talk to him for a few minutes. I also got to meet @currypowder which was cool. It's always great to meet fellow HFCers in person. And not only did I meet up with @Hamerica at the show, I got to hang out with him and swap guitar stories for a little while on Sunday afternoon. Thanks, Brian! When I asked the guy at Spacetone about the salmon blush Sunburst @Bennyboy-UK was asking about, he said, "Yeah, like three other people have asked me about that guitar today." But as reported by Greg, it wasn't there; it was back in Spacetone's shop in San Antonio. He did assure me though, that it looks better in person than the pictures on Reverb show. I only actually saw two Hamers, although I heard there were others there - I guess I just missed them. I DID manage to sell one of the three guitars I brought with me: the Ibanez S770PB. As had been discussed here (I really appreciate the advice - thanks!), I made signs with descriptions, prices and pictures, taped them to cardboard and then attached them to my rolling cart (visible from every angle). Several passers-by asked about them, and I even had a bit of interest from a couple of booths. One dealer asked to see the Epi LP, gave it a thorough visual inspection, then said, "Eh, I don't like the color. Gonna have to pass." Another dealer asked if I wanted to trade the ESP for a Kramer Baretta. But I wasn't really expecting much interest from dealers anyway - this show is much more about vintage guitars than Ibanez, ESP and import Epiphones. Then, just when I was beginning to think none of them were going to sell, a guy passing by saw the sign and said, "Hey, can I see your Ibanez?" I said sure and got it out of the case. While he was looking it over and playing it (unplugged) a little bit, his wife was digging money out of her purse. He said, "$500?" I said, "Yep." She handed me five $100 bills and the deal was done. The whole thing probably took less than five minutes. So that was pretty exciting. Speaking of the aforementioned Robin Guitars, talking to those guys reawakened that little voice inside my head that says "You need a Robin" - specifically a Ranger Slabtop Supreme, custom ordered with a skinny neck. I used to have this thought all the time when I lived in Houston in the 80s but never did anything about it. I may have to investigate further. James "Dusty" Gregg of Gregg Guitars (Fort Worth, TX) was there again, with his light-as-a-feather sparkly guitars. But I managed to resist. I was also intrigued by another Texas-based independent builder, 1836 Guitars. Some really interesting designs, but again I resisted. Finally, the award for the most expensive guitar I saw that day is a tie between these two, both at the same booth:

I’ll keep an eye out for it!

Yes, that's my plan - the cart and the large-print signs. I HAD debated about whether or not to put prices on the signs, though, wondering if it's better to advertise the prices or let people ask me. But now that you mention it, it probably IS better to have prices in plain sight. It also occurred to me that, since the guitars will be in cases, I can include a picture of the guitar on the sign. And yeah, the trade thing crossed my mind, but anything I would be interested in (like, say, a '69-'71 Fender Mustang in competition red) would definitely involve me adding cash to the deal. So I probably won't be doing that.