Steve Haynie

Ok, so maybe they said "less filler" rather than "filler." The point they made at the factory was that Music Man spends a lot of time on sanding before finishing.

RoyB, your explanation of finish thickness and using finish as filler ties into what was said at the Music Man factory tour from ten years ago. There were a lot of employees sanding bodies and necks, maybe more employees on that one aspect of production than any other group. It was explained that the goal was to create as smooth a finish as possible to to avoid using filler.

It has to do with ratings. Michael Jackson was dragged through the mud whenever possible because his name and image in a 30 second clip would bring in viewers to see commercials. Les Paul's greatest popularity was in the 1950's. His name will be remembered by a bunch of old people, but not much by people under 50. The right people are aware of Les Paul's impact.

Bing Crosby should be noted for working with guitar players more than other singers of the early 20th Century. Listen to some of his recordings. Bing recorded with Eddie Lang. His radio shows featured a great musician named Perry Botkin. (Botkin started off as a banjo player and ended up an incredible guitar player. Listen to some of those guitar interludes on the Beverly Hillbillies.) Of course one of Les Paul's highlights was working with Bing. Les told me about Perry Botkin when I asked him if he could tell me who the guitar player was on the Bing Crosby radio shows. When Botkin died he left his L-5 to Les Paul. There is a story about someone having Eddie Lang's guitar with its last set of strings used by Lang. Les was allowed to play it and a string broke. The guitar now has five strings.

To understand Les Paul's impact on music, think about how multi-track recording changed music. Some performers could never have created what was in their heads without it. I am glad I went to NYC to see Les Paul play live.

Would you eat a relic birthday cake? Happy Birthday!

It is surprising to read about a thick polyester finish because Music Man and Tom Anderson use polyester as a thin finish. What would make the difference in thickness?

hardheartedbill phoenix jettster ZR JackC Butcher elduave Hamstd DavidB BTMN cmatthes serial BCRGreg SteveC Brooks Don Brown hikarateboy ZZdat/Stung DaveH Stokesdead sovtekking There are probably more.

Tune-O-Matic.

My Blitz bass was bought cheap, then refinished, new electronics, and refretted. It became my "go to" bass for a while. Fifteen years later it still can be fun to play, but when thinking about gear to let go the Blitz has crossed my mind. With $900 invested in a Blitz bass there is no way it will ever bring that much back. It cannot be replaced by another Blitz with the same features. Over the years I have gotten a value out of the enjoyment of playing the bass. The investment was not that much, so it is no big deal. (It is not for sale right now, either.) At the time all the work was done the idea was to make the Blitz "my bass." It cost less to have the work done than it would have cost to have something similar made. The same is true for a lot of used Hamers that pop up for sale-- Hamer does not make them or they do not make them cheap anymore. For the quality of what you are getting, how much will you pay? Getting your Daytona refinished and hot-rodded is a good idea if you absolutely love the guitar as it is now. Do you grab the Daytona first? Having it for ten years is a good sign, but is it one of many in a stable of guitars that do not always get played? Pickup changes never increase the value of a guitar, and only people who understand what the Suhr BPSSC system is will consider that a plus. Stike's refin ought to be a plus because he is known as a pro working for a real guitar company. Although it would not be an official Hamer refin, it would virtually be the same as far as credibility. Your Daytona would become the equivalent of the boutique guitar that cost more than the modifications at the lower price just as you said. You will never get the investment back if you sell, though. The boutique brand will always be a boutique brand, and your Hamer Daytona will still be seen as a Hamer Daytona. I say do the mods if you are sure you will be keeping the Daytona another ten years. Get what you want and enjoy it.

All banjos are heavy, at least the good ones. The bronze tone ring underneath the head adds a lot of weight.

My bass has gone straight into the amp, but the Mutron and bass wah have been plugged in for fun every now and then. The guitar goes straight into the amp. BUT-- the stompboxes have been piling up and one day they will go on a pedal board. Right now the object is to get a good sound out of an amp.

Why have 5 Hamer Specials in different colors? It all depends on what you are into.

That finish is as cool as it gets! How long does it take to do a checkerboard finish compared to other custom finishes? The prep work would have to require a very patient person.

Little Jimmy Dickens -- Raggedy Ann Little Jimmy Dickens -- Letter To Santa Ricky Van Shelton -- Life Turned Her That Way (originally done by Little Jimmy Dickens) Warning: Listening to Little Jimmy Dickens while consuming alcohol can lead to suicide.

Rare Hamers are usually no more rare than the people who want to buy them. The exception would be 70's Standards and Sunbursts. More people want them than there are people selling them.

Happy Birthday!

You nailed it. Instead of looking at things from a player's perspective Gibson is marketing fashion. Every now and then a guitar company or small time guy in his garage comes up with something that changes everything. Floyd Rose is one such person. Even though Gibson may own Steinberger, the innovations were made before Gibson bought Steinberger. Recycling nostalgia is only going to go so far until more people realize they are buying Franklin mint knick-knacks.

I looked at all the pages at this site and the closest design to the EVH shoe was this one: If Ed thinks he owns the red, black, and white color scheme he better hire the Monster Cable lawyers to handle this from now on.

Maybe Michael Anthony is being used as a whipping boy for all of Ed's personal problems. Taking Mike's bass lines off of the original recordings is just a way of cutting off a source of residual income and transferring it to Wolfgang. With today's CGI technology we should expect to see Wolfgang replace Michael Anthony in all the old videos, too.

Happy Birthday! and Happy Birthday!

But they work so well together... link

Can we all come over and try it out?

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!